The McConnellsburg Spartans and the Faith Christian Academy Falcons will round out the year against one another at at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (McConnellsburg has four straight victories, Faith Christian Academy has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
McConnellsburg is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 68-47 margin over Forbes Road on Friday. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 21 points or more this season.
| 12/20/24 vs Forbes Road | 26 |
| 12/10/24 vs Tussey Mountain | 19 |
| 12/16/24 @ North Star | 12 |
| 12/18/24 @ Northern Bedford County | 11 |
| 12/06/24 vs Maryland School for the Deaf | 10 |
McConnellsburg found their leader in sophomore Hoyt Glenn, who went 8 for 15 on his way to 26 points in addition to seven boards and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Glenn has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Dominic Jefferson, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
McConnellsburg smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Faith Christian Academy faced off against Heritage Academy on Thursday. Faith Christian Academy was outmatched by Heritage Academy and fell 85-43. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 189th in West Virginia, while the Eagles are ranked 40th in Maryland).
McConnellsburg will need focus on slowing down Carter Young, one of several Faith Christian Academy players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6 of 11 on his way to 16 points. That was a full 37.2% of Faith Christian Academy's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of JP Harris, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 12 points.
Faith Christian Academy's loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for McConnellsburg, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: McConnellsburg has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Faith Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for McConnellsburg against Faith Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 91-36 victory. Does McConnellsburg have another victory up their sleeve, or will Faith Christian Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
