New Manna Christian is 6-0 against Shining Light Baptist Academy since December of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The New Manna Christian Wind will head out on the road to face off against the Shining Light Baptist Academy Sharks at 6:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
New Manna Christian came tearing into Monday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 34.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 66-57 win over Victory Christian. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Meanwhile, Shining Light Baptist Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came out on top against Mountain View Christian Academy by a score of 36-28. The victory was all the more spectacular given Shining Light Baptist Academy's disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 441st in North Carolina, while Mountain View Christian Academy is ranked 193rd in South Carolina).
Shining Light Baptist Academy found their leader in underclassman Lucy Haywood, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. Haywood has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last eight times she's played. Another player making a difference was Chelsea Murray, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 15 rebounds.
New Manna Christian pushed their record up to 10-4 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points per game. As for Shining Light Baptist Academy, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Everything came up roses for New Manna Christian against Shining Light Baptist Academy in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 55-22 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for New Manna Christian since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
