Basketball Game Preview: Wheatley Wildcats vs. Friends Academy Quakers

Wheatley hasn't had much luck against Friends Academy recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Wheatley Wildcats will square off against the Friends Academy Quakers at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Wheatley turned things around against Lawrence on Saturday. They enjoyed a cozy 52-38 win over the Golden Tornadoes.

Meanwhile, Friends Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They walked away with a 74-66 victory over the Vikings.

Friends Academy's win came from a few key players Wheatley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Eyan Valadez, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 assists. He has become a key player for Friends Academy: the team is 10-3 when he posts at least eight assists, but 1-2 otherwise. Chase O'Brien was another key player, dropping a triple-double on 12 points, 11 boards, and ten assists.

Friends Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 17 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Friends Academy pushed their record up to 11-5 with the win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.9 points per game. As for Wheatley, their record now sits at 2-5.

Wheatley lost to Friends Academy on the road by a decisive 63-44 margin when the teams last played back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of O'Brien, who posted 18 points and eight rebounds. Now that Wheatley knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.