Basketball Game Preview: East Rankin Academy Patriots vs. Leake Academy Rebels

The East Rankin Academy Patriots and the Leake Academy Rebels will face off at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. East Rankin Academy will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak.

East Rankin Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 63-60 win over Simpson Academy. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Cougars are ranked 26th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Leake Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Pillow Academy on Friday, taking the game 48-38. The win continues a trend for the Rebels in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won four in a row.

Leake Academy's win came from a few key players East Rankin Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sarah Prince, who went 5 for 6 en route to 12 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in field goal percentage (83%). Another player making a difference was Hannah Clark, who posted eight points.

East Rankin Academy's victory was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 32-2. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.2 points over those games. As for Leake Academy, their win bumped their record up to 31-2.

East Rankin Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Leake Academy in their previous meeting on Saturday, winning 42-34. Does East Rankin Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Leake Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.