Basketball Game Preview: Victory Christian Academy Eagles vs. Ezekiel Academy Knights

The Victory Christian Academy Eagles will challenge the Ezekiel Academy Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Victory Christian Academy sitting on eight straight victories and Ezekiel Academy on three.

Victory Christian Academy saw some tournament action back in December of 2024. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Lighthouse Baptist Academy 59-13. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 25 points or more this season.

Victory Christian Academy's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Brooklyn Durden, who went 9 of 18 on her way to 22 points and three steals, and Anne Montgomery, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 boards. Montgomery has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. Baylee Edgar was another key player, putting up six points.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Ezekiel Academy over Tuscaloosa Home Educators in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Ezekiel Academy walked away with a 47-36 win over Tuscaloosa Home Educators. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 80th, while the Warriors are ranked 203rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Victory Christian Academy better focus on containing Addi Newell and Samiya Ballard as the pair were huge in Ezekiel Academy's win. Newell went 9 of 13 on her way to 22 points, while Ballard dropped a double-double on 12 points and 16 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Ballard a new career-high in boards.

Victory Christian Academy's victory bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Ezekiel Academy, their win bumped their record up to 14-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Victory Christian Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Ezekiel Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.