Independent Baptist Academy is a perfect 6-0 against Frederick Baptist Academy since January of 2023 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Independent Baptist Academy Kings will square off against the Frederick Baptist Academy Patriots at 3:30 p.m. Independent Baptist Academy will be strutting in after a win while Frederick Baptist Academy will be coming in after a loss.
Independent Baptist Academy took a loss when they played away from home last Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Granite Baptist Academy 31-29. The win continues a trend for the Kings in their matchups with the Guardians: they've now won six in a row.
William Martin
| 02/13/25 vs Granite Baptist Academy | 12 |
| 12/09/24 @ Granite Baptist Academy | 11 |
| 02/03/25 vs Martinsburg Christian Academy | 8 |
| 01/31/25 vs Lighthouse Baptist Academy | 8 |
| 01/17/25 vs Odenton Christian | 6 |
Independent Baptist Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from William Martin, who went 5-for-11 en route to 12 points and eight boards. The dominant performance gave Martin a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Jeremiah Taplin, who posted eight points and seven steals.
Independent Baptist Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 25 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.
Meanwhile, Frederick Baptist Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Lighthouse Baptist Academy two weeks ago and fell 65-63. While the Patriots didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Eagles 24-12 in the first quarter.
Independent Baptist Academy will need to focus on slowing down James Downs, one of several Frederick Baptist Academy players who made an impact when they last played. He put up 30 points. With that strong performance, Downs is now averaging an impressive 16.5 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Good, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Independent Baptist Academy's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.3 points over those games. As for Frederick Baptist Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Independent Baptist Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Frederick Baptist Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 43.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Independent Baptist Academy took their win against Frederick Baptist Academy in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 52-31. In that contest, Independent Baptist Academy amassed a halftime lead of 33-11, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
