Basketball Game Preview: Heritage Christian Patriots vs. New Life Christian Academy Lions

Heritage Christian and New Life Christian Academy are an even 3-3 against one another since December of 2021, but not for long. The Heritage Christian Patriots are taking a road trip to square off against the New Life Christian Academy Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Heritage Christian comes in still looking for their first win of the season.

Last Thursday, Heritage Christian was beaten by Belpre Christian Academy 58-28.

Meanwhile, New Life Christian Academy was fully in charge on Thursday, breezing past Beth Haven Christian 97-58. The win continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Hornets: they've now won five in a row.

Heritage Christian better keep an eye on Jake Hamilton. He was instrumental in New Life Christian Academy's win, dropping a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 22 assists. Hamilton has been hot for a while, having also posted three or more steals the last 34 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Cameron McEarchern, who went 9-for-12 to rack up 19 points and five boards.

New Life Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive matchups.

New Life Christian Academy's record now sits at 12-10. As for Heritage Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.

Heritage Christian was taken down by New Life Christian Academy 63-25 in their previous meeting back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hamilton, who dropped a triple-double with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists. Now that Heritage Christian knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.