Basketball Game Preview: First Academy Eagles vs. Trinity Christian Academy Eagles

The First Academy Eagles will square off against the Trinity Christian Academy Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: First Academy has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while Trinity Christian Academy will arrive with seven straight wins.

First Academy is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Legacy Charter on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. First Academy had to suffer through a 79-40 loss at the hands of Legacy Charter. While losing is never fun, First Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 807th, while Legacy Charter is ranked 183rd).

Despite the defeat, First Academy had strong showings from Rhett Walsh, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 13 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals, and Logan Stalvey, who went 5 for 12 en route to 12 points and eight boards. That's the most steals Walsh has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Rayce Teate, who posted seven points.

Even though they lost, First Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Trinity Christian Academy hadn't done well against Lake Mary Prep recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Trinity Christian Academy skirted past Lake Mary Prep 51-49. That's two games straight that the Eagles have won by exactly two points.

Trinity Christian Academy pushed their record up to 15-10 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. As for First Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 3-16.

First Academy might still be hurting after the 92-68 defeat they got from Trinity Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point First Academy was down 43-22.