Preview: Academy of the New Church Lions vs. Friends' Central
Academy of the New Church has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against Friends' Central at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Academy of the New Church was able to grind out a solid win over Friends Select, taking the game 53-45. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Academy of the New Church has scored all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Academy of the New Church to victory, but perhaps none more so than Bahsil Laster, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and two blocks. Another player making a difference was Tobe Nwobu, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Friends' Central had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They managed a 63-59 victory over the. The win was familiar territory for Friends' Central who now have six in a row.
Friends' Central got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Muhsin Muhammad out in front who scored 22 points. Muhammad is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 18 or more in the last five games he's played. Fazl Oshodi was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Academy of the New Church's victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-4. As for Friends' Central, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Academy of the New Church have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Friends' Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Academy of the New Church beat Friends' Central 64-51 in their previous matchup back in January. The rematch might be a little tougher for Academy of the New Church since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
