Basketball Game Preview: Franklin Academy Cougars vs. Hillcrest Christian Cougars

The Franklin Academy Cougars will take on the Hillcrest Christian Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Franklin Academy is looking for their season's first victory.

Franklin Academy is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Prairie View Academy on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Franklin Academy was outmatched by Prairie View Academy and fell 78-10. The game marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, after only 23 points in their last matchup, Hillcrest Christian made sure to put some points up on the board against Porter's Chapel Academy last Tuesday. Hillcrest Christian breezed by Porter's Chapel Academy to the tune of 60-22. With the Cougars ahead 35-12 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Hillcrest Christian's win came from a few key players Franklin Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Darius Barnes, who posted 13 points along with five rebounds and four steals. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Johnson, who went 5 of 6 on his way to 11 points.

Hillcrest Christian pushed their record up to 9-7 with the win, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 27.8 points. As for Franklin Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.

Franklin Academy took a serious blow against Hillcrest Christian in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 67-25. Can Franklin Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.