Westwood Christian hasn't had much luck against First Assembly Christian Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Westwood Christian Warriors just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the First Assembly Christian Academy Eagles at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
First Assembly Christian Academy will be up against a hot Westwood Christian squad: the team just extended their winning streak to eight. Westwood Christian put the hurt on First Christian with a sharp 83-59 win on Thursday. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Warriors had established a 23 point advantage.
Tripp Kirkland
| 01/30/25 vs First Christian | 26 |
| 01/27/25 @ Hope Christian Academy | 19 |
| 01/24/25 vs Gainesville Christian Community | 44 |
| 01/16/25 vs Northside Christian Academy | 19 |
| 01/13/25 @ Northside Christian Academy | 22 |
| 01/10/25 @ Gainesville Christian Community | 19 |
Westwood Christian can attribute much of their success to Tripp Kirkland, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 20 boards, and Jake Kirkland, who almost dropped a double-double on 27 points and nine rebounds. The contest was Tripp's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Avery Thomas was another key player, putting up 14 points and five rebounds.
Westwood Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 14 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, First Assembly Christian Academy made easy work of Hope Christian Academy on Tuesday and carried off a 63-42 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Eagles.
Westwood Christian better keep an eye on Jausten Rivera. He was instrumental in First Assembly Christian Academy's win, dropping a double-double on 23 points and 11 steals. Rivera has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 14 times he's played. Another player making a difference was BJ Paige, who went 6 of 10 en route to 14 points and eight boards.
First Assembly Christian Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.6 points per game. As for Westwood Christian, they pushed their record up to 11-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Westwood Christian has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 46.2 boards per game. However, it's not like First Assembly Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Westwood Christian took a serious blow against First Assembly Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 60-23. Will Westwood Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
