The Liberty Tree Academy War Eagles will challenge the James Irwin Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Liberty Tree Academy will be strutting in after a win while James Irwin will be coming in after a defeat.
Liberty Tree Academy is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Kiowa: they outscored them in every quarter. Liberty Tree Academy blew past Kiowa 51-31 on Tuesday. The War Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 20 points or more this season.
Liberty Tree Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kaleb Mendez, who went 8-for-17 to rack up 19 points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Ryan Allen, who went 5-for-8 en route to 12 points.
Liberty Tree Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kiowa only nine assists.
Meanwhile, James Irwin was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They were six points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 61-55 heartbreaker at the hands of Rye.
Liberty Tree Academy will have to keep a close watch on Jace Remo and Jonathan Kimble, a pair of players who had a big impact on James Irwin's prior game. Remo posted 23 points, while Kimble dropped a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds. Remo continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaiden Davis, who scored ten points and five boards.
Liberty Tree Academy is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-10 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 23 points. James Irwin's defeat dropped their record down to 2-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Liberty Tree Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like James Irwin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Liberty Tree Academy was taken down by James Irwin 75-29 in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Will Liberty Tree Academy have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
