Oak Mountain Academy and Flint River Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. The Oak Mountain Academy Warriors will be playing in front of their home fans against the Flint River Academy Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Oak Mountain Academy has now lost nine straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since November 16.
Last Tuesday, Oak Mountain Academy had to suffer through a 82-30 loss at the hands of Georgia Force Christian. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 590th, while the Blue Knights are ranked 240th).
Jeb Harper put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 boards. Patrick Marlow also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Flint River Academy got their first taste of in-conference action this week and they started things off strong. They skirted past LaGrange Academy 43-40. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted since December 13, 2024.
Flint River Academy's win came from a few key players Oak Mountain Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Cole Riner, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. What's more, he also racked up four steals, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was D. J. Baums, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 boards.
Flint River Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 26 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Flint River Academy has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season. As for Oak Mountain Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Oak Mountain Academy has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 33.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Flint River Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Oak Mountain Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Flint River Academy when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 47-43 victory. Does Oak Mountain Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Flint River Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
