Preview: Morningside Academy Eagles vs. Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers
The Morningside Academy Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Morningside Academy focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Friday.
Morningside Academy unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak. They took a 60-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of Jensen Beach.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Elijah Clifford, who scored 16 points along with nine rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of James Bolton, who scored six points along with ten rebounds.
Even though they lost, Morningside Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Melbourne Central Catholic ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Trinity Christian Academy 37-35. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win Melbourne Central Catholic has posted yet this season.
Melbourne Central Catholic's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hayden Deane led the charge by scoring 14 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Deane also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Henry Lane, who scored six points along with three steals.
Morningside Academy's loss dropped their record down to 11-4. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, they pushed their record up to 9-2 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's contest: Morningside Academy have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 5.4 threes per game. It's a different story for Melbourne Central Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 4.6 threes per game. Given Morningside Academy's sizeable advantage in that area, Melbourne Central Catholic will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Morningside Academy against Melbourne Central Catholic when the teams last played back in January of 2022 as the team secured a 71-29 victory. With Morningside Academy ahead 40-16 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
