The Halifax Academy Vikings will head out on the road to face off against the Lawrence Academy Warriors at 8:01 p.m. on Thursday. Halifax Academy is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
Last Friday, Halifax Academy opened the new year with a less-than-successful 62-54 loss to Thales Academy Rolesville.
Despite the defeat, Halifax Academy got top-tier performance from Landon Peoples, who went 11 for 23 on his way to 28 points. That was a full 51.9% of Halifax Academy's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Thad Harris, who went 5 of 9 en route to 11 points and six assists.
Even though they lost, Halifax Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Lawrence Academy's strategy against Northeast Academy For Aerospace and Advanced Tech on Wednesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lawrence Academy blew Northeast Academy For Aerospace and Advanced Tech out of the water with a 61-18 final score. The Warriors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Halifax Academy better keep an eye on Nike Wiggins. He was instrumental in Lawrence Academy's win, going 9 of 15 on his way to 20 points and three steals. The contest was Wiggins' sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Hoggard, who went 6 of 7 on his way to 13 points and four steals.
Lawrence Academy pushed their record up to 6-7 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 35 points. As for Halifax Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 4-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Halifax Academy has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30 boards per game. However, it's not like Lawrence Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Halifax Academy beat Lawrence Academy 49-37 in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Halifax Academy since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
