Basketball Game Preview: Simon Gratz Bulldogs vs. Academy at Palumbo Griffin

The Simon Gratz Bulldogs will head out on the road to take on the Academy at Palumbo Griffin at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Simon Gratz will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.

Last Friday, Simon Gratz earned a 50-40 win over Samuel Fels.

Alana Wilkerson

Points

02/07/25 vs Samuel Fels	17
01/27/25 vs Mastery Charter Hardy Williams	38
01/25/25 vs Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech	18
01/24/25 vs Paul Robeson	30

Simon Gratz's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Alana Wilkerson, who posted 17 points. Wilkerson's afternoon made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least 17 points. Another player making a difference was Zakkiyah Lucas, who had 12 points.

Meanwhile, Academy at Palumbo didn't have quite enough to beat Abraham Lincoln two weeks ago and fell 47-45.

Simon Gratz will need to focus on slowing down Beatrix Kaeli, one of several Academy at Palumbo players who made an impact when they last played. She earned 12 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. Kaeli has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. Naimah Hargrove was another key player, putting up eight points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Academy at Palumbo smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive matchups.

Simon Gratz's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 27 points. As for Academy at Palumbo, their loss dropped their record down to 11-5.

Simon Gratz was taken down by Academy at Palumbo 64-14 in their previous matchup back in January of 2016. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Simon Gratz was down 30-10.