Basketball Preview: Foundation Academy Lions vs. The First Academy Royals
The Foundation Academy Lions will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against The First Academy Royals at 7:00 p.m. on February 8th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Tuesday, Foundation Academy strolled past the Warriors with points to spare, taking the game 64-47.
It was another big night for Jacob Osborne, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Riley Michels, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Meanwhile, The First Academy struggled with assists on Thursday (the Spartans had 15 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. The First Academy was outmatched by the Spartans at home and fell 90-61. While losing is never fun, The First Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 142nd, while the Spartans are ranked 50th).
Despite the loss, The First Academy had strong showings from Max Simmons, who scored 21 points along with three steals, and Lorenzo De jesus, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds. De jesus is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 16 or more in the last five games he's played. Cael Lerner was another key contributor, scoring six points.
Foundation Academy is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-8 record this season. As for The First Academy, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Foundation Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like The First Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Foundation Academy beat the Royals 69-60 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Foundation Academy since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
