Basketball Game Preview: Episcopal Academy Churchmen vs. Friends' Central

The Episcopal Academy Churchmen will take on Friends' Central in a holiday battle at at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Episcopal Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Friends' Central likes a good challenge.

Last Saturday, Episcopal Academy came up short against George School and fell 72-59. While losing is never fun, the Churchmen can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 103rd, while the Cougars are ranked second).

Meanwhile, Friends' Central didn't have quite enough to beat Malvern Prep on Tuesday and fell 57-54. The defeat continues a trend for Friends' Central in their matchups with Malvern Prep: they've now lost four in a row.

Episcopal Academy will need focus on slowing down Pat Feamster, one of several Friends' Central players who made an impact when they last played. He went 5 of 9 en route to 13 points. Another player making a difference was Gabe Moore, who posted 12 points.

Friends' Central's loss dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Episcopal Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.

Episcopal Academy barely slipped by Friends' Central when the teams last played back in February, winning 80-79. Will Episcopal Academy repeat their success, or does Friends' Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.