Christian Family Academy has gone a perfect 10-0 against Challenger recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Fire will head out to take on the Firebirds at 6:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Christian Family Academy has four straight wins, Challenger has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
If Challenger heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Christian Family Academy took over last week. The Fire came out on top against Lake Lure Classical Academy by a score of 67-59 on Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Fire's considerable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 239th, while the Raptors are ranked 480th).
Zeke Johnson
| 12/12/25 vs Lake Lure Classical Academy | 24 |
| 12/09/25 @ Nebo Crossing Academy | 23 |
| 12/02/25 @ Community Christian Academy | 28 |
| 11/21/25 @ Haywood Christian Academy | 27 |
| 11/18/25 vs University Christian | 27 |
Zeke Johnson produced another solid performance putting up 24 points in addition to six assists and three steals. The matchup was his fifth in a row with at least 23 points. Brayden Lail was another key player, posting 14 points.
Meanwhile, Challenger came up short against Pinnacle Classical Academy on Friday and fell 56-45. The contest marked the Firebirds' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Christian Family Academy will have to contain AJ Burch as he made an impact in Challenger's last game. He shot 46% from the field on his way to 17 points. Another player making a difference was Logan Lee, who posted eight points and five boards.
Christian Family Academy's victory bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Challenger, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Christian Family Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Challenger struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 23.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Christian Family Academy was able to grind out a solid win over Challenger in their previous meeting back in January, winning 65-52. Do the Fire have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Firebirds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
