Basketball Game Preview: Ezekiel Academy Knights vs. Evangel Christian Lightning

Ezekiel Academy has gone 8-2 against Evangel Christian recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Ezekiel Academy Knights will be playing at home against the Evangel Christian Lightning at 6:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Ezekiel Academy is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering East Central HomeSchool just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 56-54.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jill Newell, who posted 14 points and seven rebounds. Those 14 points gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Addi Newell, who scored 12 points.

Even though they lost, Ezekiel Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Central HomeSchool only racked up two assists.

Meanwhile, Evangel Christian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They lost 46-25 to Tuscaloosa Home Educators. The match marked the Lightning's lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Ezekiel Academy's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 15-3. As for Evangel Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-4.

Ezekiel Academy strolled past Evangel Christian when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a score of 41-26. Will Ezekiel Academy repeat their success, or does Evangel Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.