Basketball Game Preview: Laurens Academy Crusaders vs. Wardlaw Academy Patriots

The Laurens Academy Crusaders will take on the Wardlaw Academy Patriots in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Laurens Academy is headed into Friday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Newberry Academy an easy 36-11 victory. The game marked the Crusaders' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, Wardlaw Academy suffered their biggest defeat since February 9th on Monday. They were outmatched by Providence Athletic Club and fell 69-38. The Patriots haven't had much luck with the Panthers recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.

Laurens Academy will need focus on slowing down Noah Harper, one of several Wardlaw Academy players who made an impact when they last played. He posted 13 points. That was a full 34.2% of Wardlaw Academy's points, marking the third time in a row he's put up more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Colt Bailey, who had ten points along with six assists and five boards.

Even though they lost, Wardlaw Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

Wardlaw Academy's loss dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Laurens Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-3.

Laurens Academy beat Wardlaw Academy 59-52 when the teams last played two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for Laurens Academy since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.