Basketball Game Preview: Rosedale Christian Academy Rosedale Panthers vs. Fairfax Christian Cardinals

Two dominant forwards in Keyon Williams and Frank Siaca Bey are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Rosedale Christian Academy Rosedale Panthers will challenge the Fairfax Christian Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Rosedale Christian Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.8 points per game this season.

Rosedale Christian Academy is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Prince George's Christian Academy Blue on Monday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Rosedale Christian Academy was dealt a 75-48 defeat at the hands of Prince George's Christian Academy Blue. While losing is never fun, the Rosedale Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Maryland basketball rankings (they are ranked 189th, while the Flyers are ranked 36th).

Despite their loss, Rosedale Christian Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Michael Mercer, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 boards, was perhaps the best of all. Mercer is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last three games he's played. Jason Francisco-Hayes was another key player, putting up 11 points and five steals.

Even though they lost, Rosedale Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Fairfax Christian waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They walked away with a 74-63 win over the Eagles.

Fairfax Christian's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-10. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 89.0 points per game. As for Rosedale Christian Academy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-18 record this season.

Rosedale Christian Academy was taken down by Fairfax Christian 89-58 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Rosedale Christian Academy was down 47-24.