Nazareth has won seven straight games at home (dating back to last season), while East New York Family Academy has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Saturday. The Nazareth Kingsmen will welcome East New York Family Academy at 3:30 p.m. One thing working in Nazareth's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last seven matchups.
Last Wednesday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Nazareth beat St. Francis Prep 57-51. Given the Kingsmen's advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked second, while the Terriers are ranked 27th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Nazareth's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Makylah Moore, who posted 13 points along with seven boards and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Arly Zapata, who had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Nazareth smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, East New York Family Academy blew past Fort Hamilton, posting a 77-14 victory. East New York Family Academy has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 42 points or more this season.
Nazareth better keep an eye on Arianna Mercado. She was instrumental in East New York Family Academy's win, going 11 of 18 on her way to 25 points and six steals. Mercado's afternoon made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Janaya Henderson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Nazareth's win bumped their record up to 11-1. As for East New York Family Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Nazareth has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.5 boards per game. However, it's not like East New York Family Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
