Preview: Valiant Cross Academy Warriors vs. Lee-Scott Academy Warriors
The Valiant Cross Academy Warriors will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Lee-Scott Academy Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on February 8th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Valiant Cross Academy had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They strolled past Fort Dale Academy with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 58-39.
Valiant Cross Academy found their leader in underclassman Deshawn Hall, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 16 rebounds. Hall is crushing the point category: he's posted at least 16 every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of James Cosby, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lee-Scott Academy scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Monroe Academy 84-33 at home. Lee-Scott Academy has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 20 points or more this season.
Lee-Scott Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ben Aldridge led the charge by scoring 21 points along with six steals and five rebounds. Aldridge is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for four games straight. Chapman Harris was another key contributor, scoring 23 points along with five rebounds.
Valiant Cross Academy is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 22-5 record this season. As for Lee-Scott Academy, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 25-5.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Valiant Cross Academy hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 64.8 points per game. However, it's not like Lee-Scott Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 63.3 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Valiant Cross Academy couldn't quite finish off Lee-Scott Academy in their previous meeting last Wednesday and fell 60-57. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lee-Scott Academy's Haiden Harper, who scored 28 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Now that Valiant Cross Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
