Two dominant guards in Kenny Vera and Xayden Watson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Northwood Temple Academy Eagles will face off against the Trinity Christian Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Northwood Temple Academy's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 17 matches.
Northwood Temple Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 69-54 win over Westchester Country Day. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 115th, while the Wildcats are ranked 262nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jalen Harris
| 02/11/25 vs Westchester Country Day | 5 |
| 01/24/25 vs Fayetteville Christian | 4 |
| 01/16/25 @ Village Christian Academy | 4 |
| 01/14/25 @ The O'Neal School | 4 |
| 01/27/25 @ Fayetteville Christian | 3 |
Jalen Harris was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in assists (five). Elijah Kindle was another key player, putting up 15 points.
Meanwhile, Trinity Christian had already won ten in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.8 points) and they went ahead and made it 11 on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Eagles 87-39. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 21 points or more this season.
Northwood Temple Academy better keep an eye on Logan Stafford. He was instrumental in Trinity Christian's win, going 13-for-21 on his way to 31 points and four steals. Thanks to that strong game, Stafford now owns an excellent 45.1% field goal percentage. Another player making a difference was Watson, who posted six points in addition to 13 assists and six boards.
Trinity Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in ten consecutive contests.
Trinity Christian's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-8. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 46 points. As for Northwood Temple Academy, their record now sits at 22-10.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Northwood Temple Academy has been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 38% of their three-pointers per game. However, it's not like Trinity Christian struggles in that department as they've made 39.5% of their three-pointers this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northwood Temple Academy lost to Trinity Christian on the road by a decisive 75-59 margin in their previous matchup on Thursday. Can Northwood Temple Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
