Basketball Game Preview: Holly Hill Academy Raiders vs. Curtis Baptist Crusaders

The Holly Hill Academy Raiders will head out to take on the Curtis Baptist Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Holly Hill Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Holly Hill Academy beat Mead Hall Episcopal School 58-52.

Jody Gillam continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 15 of 29 on his way to 40 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. The matchup was his third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Mason Connor, who went 5 for 8 en route to 11 points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Curtis Baptist earned a 62-55 victory over Jefferson Davis Academy on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Crusaders.

Holly Hill Academy better focus on containing Wiltrez (Trez) Mincey and Treivan Wright as the pair were huge in Curtis Baptist's win. Mincey dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Wright went 8 of 15 on his way to 22 points. Mincey is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 17 or more in the last six games he's played. Brayden Husband was another key player, putting up eight points and 11 boards.

Curtis Baptist is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-9 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points per game. As for Holly Hill Academy, their win bumped their record up to 7-10.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Holly Hill Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Curtis Baptist struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Holly Hill Academy suffered a grim 53-33 defeat to Curtis Baptist when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Can Holly Hill Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.