Basketball Game Preview: Calhoun Academy Cavaliers vs. Orangeburg Prep Indians

The Calhoun Academy Cavaliers are taking a road trip to take on the Orangeburg Prep Indians at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

On Wednesday, Calhoun Academy didn't have too much trouble with Holly Hill Academy as they won 67-48. Given the Cavaliers' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 134th, while the Raiders are ranked 275th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Orangeburg Prep entered their tilt with Thomas Sumter Academy on Wednesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They strolled past the Generals with points to spare, taking the game 67-51. The Indians pushed the score to 56-36 by the end of the third, a deficit the Generals cut but never quite recovered from.

Calhoun Academy better keep an eye on Avery Ravenell. He was instrumental in Orangeburg Prep's win, putting up 24 points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists. Ravenell has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. Another player making a difference was Tilden Riley, who posted 13 points along with six boards and five steals.

Calhoun Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Orangeburg Prep, they pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season.

Calhoun Academy might still be hurting after the 71-47 defeat they got from Orangeburg Prep in their previous matchup on Friday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ravenell, who scored 27 points and four steals. Now that Calhoun Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.