Two dominant guards in Gabriel Thompson and Grafton Eiff are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The UR Academy Lions will welcome the Providence Classical Paladins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
UR Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They managed a 66-61 win over Riverwalk Academy on Saturday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for UR Academy as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Jordan Miller and Thompson were among the main playmakers for UR Academy as the former dropped a double-double on 26 points and 13 boards and the latter went 8 of 18 on his way to 23 points in addition to eight assists and seven boards. That makes it eight consecutive games in which Thompson has scored at least a third of UR Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brysen Parker, who posted 11 points.
UR Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in ten consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Providence Classical, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in December of 2024. They had just enough and edged Carolina Christian out 47-44. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Paladins have posted since February 13, 2024.
Providence Classical found their leader in freshman Malachi Thompson, who dropped a double-double on 28 points and ten boards. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thompson has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Eiff, who put up eight points in addition to 11 assists and seven steals.
Providence Classical's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-5. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.7 points per game. As for UR Academy, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: UR Academy has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Providence Classical struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
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