Basketball Game Preview: Notre Dame Academy Irish Wolfhounds vs. Bethlehem Christian Academy Knights

Two dominant guards in Ki?Andrey Thomas and Malachi Mays are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Notre Dame Academy Irish Wolfhounds and the Bethlehem Christian Academy Knights will compete for holiday cheer at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Notre Dame Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 72.6 points per game this season.

Last Saturday, Notre Dame Academy earned a 64-53 win over Dillon Christian.

Notre Dame Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Thomas, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 boards. Thomas has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 11 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Geronimo Holmes, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.

Notre Dame Academy 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 nine offensive rebounds in six consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bethlehem Christian Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Riverside Military Academy 68-30. The Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Bethlehem Christian Academy's win came from a few key players Notre Dame Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brandon Odom, who posted 12 points. MJ Dickinson was another key player, putting up ten points.

Bethlehem Christian Academy has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 3-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.5 points per game. As for Notre Dame Academy, their record is now 9-5.

Notre Dame Academy was taken down by Bethlehem Christian Academy 76-41 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Thankfully for Notre Dame Academy, Johnny Dickinson (who went 5 of 8 on his way to 20 points) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.