The Asheville Christian Academy Lions will head out to face off against the Gaston Christian Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Asheville Christian Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They took down Carolina Day 54-38. The victory continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won five in a row.
Ansley Fuchs
| 02/11/25 vs Carolina Day | 17 |
| 02/07/25 vs Rabun Gap-Nacoochee | 4 |
| 02/04/25 vs Greenville H | 6 |
| 02/03/25 vs Tri-Cities Christian | 4 |
| 01/31/25 vs Brevard | 7 |
| + 18 more games |
Asheville Christian Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ansley Fuchs, who almost dropped a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. That's the most points Fuchs has posted since back in November of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Sara Larios, who went 6-for-13 to rack up 17 points and five assists.
Meanwhile, Gaston Christian waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They strolled past the Lions with points to spare, taking the game 46-29. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 139th, while the Lions are ranked 324th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Asheville Christian Academy better focus on containing Emily Haux and Happy Arune as the pair were huge in Gaston Christian's win. Haux went 6-for-12 on her way to 17 points in addition to seven steals and six assists, while Arune dropped a double-double with 16 points and 19 boards. Arune has been hot for a while, having posted ten or more rebounds the last 11 times she's played. Trinity Genteman was another key player, putting up seven points and six boards.
Gaston Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.
Gaston Christian pushed their record up to 15-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.6 points over those games. As for Asheville Christian Academy, their record now sits at 13-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Asheville Christian Academy has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Gaston Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Asheville Christian Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Gaston Christian when the teams last played back in November of 2024, winning 43-33. Will Asheville Christian Academy repeat their success, or does Gaston Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
