Basketball Recap: Mentor Christian Starts off Right with Win over Westside Christian Academy

Mentor Christian gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Friday. They pulled ahead with a 39-38 photo finish over the Westside Christian Academy Eagles. For Mentor Christian, this counts as revenge for the 68-60 victory Westside Christian Academy walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January.

Despite the loss, Westside Christian Academy still got an impressive performance from Zach Zhakunets, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jude Putnam, who shot 63% from the field to rack up 11 points and seven boards.

Westside Christian Academy has already played their next matchup (against Lawrence Upper), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Mentor Christian will be paying especially close attention to Westside Christian Academy's contest: after Westside Christian Academy faces off against Lake Ridge Academy, they'll take on Mentor Christian again at 7:00 p.m. on January 9, 2026.