Basketball Game Preview: EPIC Academy Legends vs. South Shore International Tars

The EPIC Academy Legends will face off against the South Shore International Tars at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. EPIC Academy has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with nine straight losses, while South Shore International will come in with seven straight wins.

Last Friday, EPIC Academy was beaten by Bishop McNamara 85-42. While losing is never fun, the Legends can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 743rd, while the Fightin' Irish are ranked 193rd).

Cameron Kelly

Points (Career)

02/21/25 @ Bishop McNamara	20
12/01/23 vs Catalyst-Maria	10
12/03/24 @ Chicago Vocational	8
01/09/24 vs Air Force Academy	8
02/11/25 @ Woodlawn	6

Despite their defeat, EPIC Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Cameron Kelly, who posted 20 points, was perhaps the best of all. The dominant performance gave Kelly a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Ayomide Olantuji, who earned 13 points.

Meanwhile, South Shore International was able to grind out a solid victory over Noble Street College Prep on Thursday, taking the game 56-44.

South Shore International's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-16. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.6 points over those games. As for EPIC Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 1-13.

EPIC Academy might still be hurting after the 44-21 defeat they got from South Shore International when the teams last played back in January. Can EPIC Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.