Basketball Game Preview: Gaston Day Spartans vs. Hickory Grove Christian Lions

Gaston Day is 9-1 against Hickory Grove Christian since January of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Gaston Day Spartans will face off against the Hickory Grove Christian Lions at 7:00 p.m. Hickory Grove Christian took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Gaston Day, who comes in off a win.

Gaston Day took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They strolled past Westminster Catawba Christian with points to spare, taking the game 59-43. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 52nd in North Carolina, while the Indians are ranked 260th in South Carolina), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Gaston Day found their leader in sophomore Dylan Bradley, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 boards. The dominant performance gave Bradley a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Griffen Simpson, who posted ten points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Hickory Grove Christian unfortunately witnessed the end of their six-game winning streak on Tuesday. They were dealt an 83-46 defeat at the hands of Concord Academy. The Lions were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 45-25.

Hickory Grove Christian's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-9. As for Gaston Day, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season.

Gaston Day strolled past Hickory Grove Christian in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a score of 74-59. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gaston Day since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.