Basketball Game Preview: Academy for Classical Education Gryphons vs. Northeast Raiders

Academy for Classical Education hasn't had much luck against Northeast recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Academy for Classical Education Gryphons will host the Northeast Raiders at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Northeast is hoping to do what Twiggs County couldn't on Saturday: put an end to Academy for Classical Education's winning streak, which now stands at nine games. Academy for Classical Education simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Twiggs County 57-15. Given the Gryphons' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 126th, while the Cobras are ranked 441st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Northeast's strategy against McNair on Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Northeast blew McNair out of the water with a 79-26 final score. That 53 point margin sets a new team best for the Raiders this season.

Academy for Classical Education better focus on containing Destinee Waller and Kassidy Davis as the pair were huge in Northeast's win. Waller went 8 for 12 on her way to 17 points and three steals, while Davis went 5 of 11 on her way to 14 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals. That's the most points Waller has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Alayla Hooks, who posted 12 points along with six boards and six steals.

Northeast smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 14 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Academy for Classical Education's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 38.1 points. As for Northeast, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.

Academy for Classical Education couldn't quite finish off Northeast in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 and fell 41-39. Can Academy for Classical Education avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.