Trinity Christian and Northwood Temple Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2022, but not for long. The Trinity Christian Crusaders will face off against the Northwood Temple Academy Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Trinity Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past nine matches -- so hopefully Northwood Temple Academy likes a good challenge.
Trinity Christian is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing New Life Christian Academy: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Trinity Christian blew New Life Christian Academy out of the water with an 84-48 final score. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 21 points or more this season.
| 02/03/25 vs New Life Christian Academy | 3 |
| 01/31/25 @ Northwood Temple Academy | 3 |
| 01/30/25 vs Village Christian Academy | 3 |
| 01/29/25 @ Freedom Christian Academy | 2 |
| 01/28/25 @ Village Christian Academy | 4 |
Trinity Christian's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Xayden Watson, who dropped a double-double on ten boards and ten assists. Watson has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 12 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Baganley Donzo, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Trinity Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in February of 2024.
Meanwhile, Northwood Temple Academy didn't have too much trouble with Fayetteville Christian on Tuesday as they won 74-57. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while the Warriors are ranked 352nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Northwood Temple Academy's win came from a few key players Trinity Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Elijah Kindle, who went 9 of 20 on his way to 20 points and six steals. Those six steals gave him a new career-high. Jalen Harris was another key player, going 6 for 7 en route to 13 points and four steals.
Northwood Temple Academy's win bumped their record up to 21-9. As for Trinity Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 19-8.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Trinity Christian just can't miss this season, having drained 51.2% of their shots per game. However, it's not like Northwood Temple Academy struggles in that department as they've nailed 48% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Trinity Christian beat Northwood Temple Academy 80-73 when the teams last played on Friday. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Northwood Temple Academy's Kenny Vera, who went 9 of 17 on his way to 28 points in addition to eight boards and five assists. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Trinity Christian still be able to contain Vera? There's only one way to find out.
