Basketball Game Preview: Fort Meade Miners vs. McKeel Academy Wildcats

Fort Meade hasn't had much luck against McKeel Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The two teams will face off at 8:00 p.m. without much rest having both just played. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

On Thursday, Fort Meade got the win against Mulberry by a conclusive 69-49. The Miners have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 20 points or more this season.

It was another big night for Omari Russell, who posted 27 points in addition to six steals and five boards. Another player making a difference was Mekhi Berrien, who had 14 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.

Fort Meade smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, McKeel Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They took a 69-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of Bell Creek Academy. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 387th, while the Panthers are ranked 158th).

Fort Meade has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 7-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.5 points per game. As for McKeel Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9.

Fort Meade opened the new year with a less-than-successful 50-42 defeat to McKeel Academy. Can Fort Meade avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.