Basketball Recap: The First Academy Beats Hampton for Their Ninth Straight Victory

Royals

Previous Games

12/21/24 vs Hampton	55-39
12/20/24 vs Edgewood	66-15
12/16/24 vs Oak Ridge	53-39
12/13/24 @ Academy of the Holy Names	46-18
12/06/24 @ Mitchell	68-34
+ 4 more games

The First Academy waltzed into their matchup on Saturday with eight straight wins... but they left with nine. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 55-39 victory over the Hampton Bulldogs. Given the Royals' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 22nd in Florida, while the Bulldogs are ranked 107th in Tennessee), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Despite the loss, Hampton still got an impressive performance from Hannah Smith, who went 5 for 11 on her way to 16 points and five steals. The game was Smith's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Faye Carrico was another key player, putting up four points and six rebounds.

The First Academy's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.4 points per game. As for Hampton, their loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 9-4.

The First Academy wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 58-33 victory against Varsity Opponent on the 27th. As for Hampton, they will get a bit of extra time to process the defeat as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Cloudland at 6:30 p.m. on January 2, 2025.