Basketball Game Preview: Mount Academy Eagles vs. Rhinebeck Hawks

It'll be a Battle of the Birds when the Mount Academy Eagles face off against the Rhinebeck Hawks at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday... Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Rhinebeck will be up against a hot Mount Academy squad: the team just extended their winning streak to eight. Mount Academy put the hurt on Dover with a sharp 78-58 victory on Friday. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-21.

Jake Maendel

Points

01/17/25 @ Dover	31
01/14/25 vs Millbrook	25
01/10/25 @ Rhinebeck	17
01/07/25 @ Pine Plains	17
12/19/24 vs Hawthorne Valley	22

Jake Maendel continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 11 for 20 on his way to 31 points along with five rebounds and five steals. The match was his tenth in a row with at least ten points. Bruce Maendel was another key player, putting up 18 points in addition to five boards and four steals.

Mount Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January of 2024.

Meanwhile, Rhinebeck waltzed into their game on Wednesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. Everything went their way against the Warriors as they made off with a 49-28 win.

Mount Academy's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 84.3 points per game. As for Rhinebeck, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.

Everything came up roses for Mount Academy against Rhinebeck when the teams last played two weeks ago, as the team secured a 69-40 victory. Does Mount Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rhinebeck turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.