Basketball Game Preview: Bull City Prep National Bulls vs. Concord Academy Eagles

The Bull City Prep National Bulls and the Concord Academy Eagles will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Bull City Prep National has insisted on making their lastthree contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 0-3 during that stretch of close contests.

Last Saturday, Bull City Prep National didn't have quite enough to beat Clinton Grace and fell 56-54. That's two games in a row now that the Bulls have lost by exactly two points.

Meanwhile, Concord Academy faced Providence Day in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. Concord Academy fell just short of Providence Day by a score of 61-58. The Eagles' defeat signaled the end of their 14-game winning streak.

Bull City Prep National will need focus on slowing down James Minlend, one of several Concord Academy players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6 of 9 en route to 16 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Lincoln Raper, who posted 13 points and five assists.

Even though they lost, Concord Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive matches.

Bull City Prep National now has a losing record at 3-4. As for Concord Academy, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-1.