Shipley will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Cross Christian Academy Centurions at 6:30 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Shipley has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Cross Christian Academy will arrive with four straight wins.
Last Wednesday, Shipley ended up a good deal behind Westtown and lost 63-47. While losing is never fun, Shipley can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 429th, while Westtown is ranked 88th).
Shipley's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Henry Rassmussen, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and two steals, and Matt Lange who scored 13 points along with three blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Stevie Maniatis, who scored six points.
Meanwhile, Cross Christian Academy put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season back in December of 2023. They ended the year with a bang, routing Hightstown 84-61. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Cross Christian Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tavaris Hall, who scored 19 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hall has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Xavier Brewington, who scored 18 points.
Shipley has not been sharp recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-11 record this season. As for Cross Christian Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Shipley have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Cross Christian Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 7.7 rebounds per game. Given Shipley's sizeable advantage in that area, Cross Christian Academy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Shipley didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Cross Christian Academy when the teams last played back in December of 2022, but they still walked away with a 73-68 victory. Does Shipley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cross Christian Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
