Life Christian Academy (63) vs. NW Christian Academy (41)
On 12/19 The Life Christian Eagles physically took the game away from the NW Christian Navigators in their first meeting of the year winning 63-41. The Eagles which are traditionally a lot more physical than most teams came out with a chip on their shoulder. I didn’t see the same intensity matched by the Navigators. Though this was the first meeting for both squads, I do anticipate the next meeting to be a little more competitive.
Life Christian Eagles Standouts:
Eagles Senior Guard Eric Overgaard is a 6’1 sharpshooter on the floor. He is a little undersized for a combo guard but the intangibles are there. He can defend at a high clip and sees the floor very well. His skill set will increase as time goes on and he fills into his body. I think that he will be a big asset to a good NAIA program. In this particular game he played good. Seeing the floor, knocking down shots and playing aggressive man to man defense. During the game he had some key possessions where he made good solid moves around the basket and scored on a couple. I look forward to his growth and development throughout the season.
Eagles Freshman Guard Omari Maulana is a physical guard and can really move people out of his way. He has superior upper body strength and has a very quick first step. In this he dominated in the open court. His ability to push the ball and find the seams and driving lanes is far ahead of his years. He is already said to be a D1 recruit. He scored 16 points in a game that seemed liked he was able to pick and choose when to go. I was very impressed with his instincts around the basket knowing when to go up strong and when to pass out of the double team.
NW Christian Navigator Standouts:
Navigators Sophomore guard Noah Phillips was all the offense the navigators had. Though the eagles won the game in convincing fashion. Noah put up some big numbers in the loss. He was an inside outside threat all game long. The eagles didn’t have an answer for him. Finishing the game with 21 points which is half of the total scoring output by the navigators. His ability to drive the lanes and pull up in traffic to be honest was surprising because I’ve never heard of this young man before. I know this is a 2A league game but his ability could easily translate on a bigger stage. His basketball IQ was the highest on the team. He understands when to drive, when to shoot and when to pass.
Navigators Sophomore Guard Cameron Nielson played a relatively controlled game. Even though he had the task of guarding Omari, he showed very good poise and control when the navigators were on the offensive end. Defensively I think it is unfair to judge him based on his assignment. Omari is a handful for anybody to guard. He moved his feet very well and didn’t pick up silly fouls. As the season continues I do see this squad improving and think that there 3-5 overall record doesn’t say much about the fight I saw.