Eastmoor Academy is 2-8 against Walnut Ridge since December of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Eastmoor Academy Warriors will face off against the Walnut Ridge Scots at 7:00 p.m. Eastmoor Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.3 points per game this season.
Last Friday, Eastmoor Academy came up short against South and fell 64-52.
Despite their defeat, Eastmoor Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Phonie Simpkins, who posted 14 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of JD Broomfield, who went 5 of 7 en route to 11 points.
Meanwhile, Walnut Ridge had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They claimed a resounding 89-54 victory over the Bruins. The Scots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 32 points or more this season.
Walnut Ridge's win came from a few key players Eastmoor Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Marquis Lucas, who went 7 for 13 on his way to 18 points in addition to seven rebounds and six steals. Those six steals gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jahleel Wakeel, who went 9 of 11 en route to 20 points.
Walnut Ridge pushed their record up to 11-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.3 points per game. As for Eastmoor Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 4-8.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Eastmoor Academy and Walnut Ridge are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Eastmoor Academy hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 55.3 points per game. However, it's not like Walnut Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 71 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Eastmoor Academy was dealt a bruising 80-48 defeat at the hands of Walnut Ridge when the teams last played back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Walnut Ridge's Lee'Sean Saunders, who went 8 for 13 on his way to 20 points. Now that Eastmoor Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
