Basketball Game Preview: Calhoun Academy Cavaliers vs. Holly Hill Academy Raiders

Calhoun Academy has gone 8-2 against Holly Hill Academy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Calhoun Academy Cavaliers will take on the Holly Hill Academy Raiders at 7:15 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Calhoun Academy is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Dorchester Academy: they outscored them in every quarter. Calhoun Academy walked away with a 46-36 victory over Dorchester Academy on Tuesday. Given the Cavaliers' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 122nd, while the Raiders are ranked 278th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Calhoun Academy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Chase Strickland, who went 7 for 11 on his way to 15 points and six rebounds. The matchup was Strickland's fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Lindsay, who posted 11 points and six steals.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Holly Hill Academy). They blew past Clarendon Hall 71-43 on Thursday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Raiders as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.

Calhoun Academy better keep an eye on Jody Gillam. He was instrumental in Holly Hill Academy's win, going 13 of 29 on his way to 34 points in addition to eight rebounds and five assists. That makes it eight consecutive games in which Gillam has scored at least a third of Holly Hill Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashton Soles, who went 7 of 12 on his way to 17 points and seven rebounds.

Holly Hill Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Holly Hill Academy's win bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Calhoun Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season.

Calhoun Academy strolled past Holly Hill Academy when the teams last played back in January of 2024 by a score of 61-47. Does Calhoun Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Holly Hill Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.