Basketball Game Preview: Hope Academy Trojan Tigers vs. Montverde Academy Gold Eagles

The Hope Academy Trojan Tigers will challenge the Montverde Academy Gold Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Montverde Academy Gold better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if last week is any indication, that's when Hope Academy really get things going. Hope Academy really took it to Four Corners for the full four quarters, racking up an 82-55 win. Given the Trojan Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 168th, while the Coyotes are ranked 619th), the result on Wednesday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hope Academy found their leader in sophomore Dwayne Foreman III, who went 11 of 21 on his way to 28 points and eight steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which Foreman III has scored at least a third of Hope Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Willie Griggs, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, Montverde Academy Gold had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19 points) and they went ahead and made it four last Friday. They put the hurt on the Wolves with a sharp 69-46 victory. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 23 points or more this season.

Hope Academy pushed their record up to 13-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Montverde Academy Gold, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.

Hope Academy came up short against Montverde Academy Gold in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 48-43. Will Hope Academy have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.