Basketball Game Preview: The First Academy Royals vs. Oviedo Lions

The First Academy is 3-0 against Oviedo since December of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The First Academy Royals will take on the Oviedo Lions at 7:00 p.m. The First Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven matchups -- so hopefully Oviedo likes a good challenge.

Last Friday, The First Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against King's Ridge Christian, but they still walked away with a 78-74 win.

It was another big night for Max Simmons, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine boards. Those nine rebounds gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Corey Capps, who went 8 of 15 on his way to 19 points.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Oviedo took on Westminster on Saturday. Oviedo rang in the new year with a 63-56 victory over Westminster. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.

Oviedo has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.1 points per game. As for The First Academy, their win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-2.

The First Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Oviedo in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 67-55. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Oviedo's Hunter Haverkamp, who went 8 of 11 en route to 19 points and five assists. Now that he won't be playing on Monday, will it be easier for The First Academy to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.