Basketball Game Preview: Franklin Academy Patriots vs. Henderson Collegiate Pride

The Franklin Academy Patriots and the Henderson Collegiate Pride will compete for holiday cheer at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Franklin Academy has three straight wins, Henderson Collegiate has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Franklin Academy humbled Granville Central with a 58-30 victory. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 24 points or more this season.

Franklin Academy found their leader in sophomore Rayne Bookhart, who went 12 for 24 on her way to 24 points in addition to five assists and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bookhart has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Iliana Rodriguez, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 boards.

Franklin Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 33 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in nine consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Henderson Collegiate played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by Eno River Academy 52-16. The Pride were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-9.

Franklin Academy has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.0 points per game. As for Henderson Collegiate, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.

Franklin Academy couldn't quite finish off Henderson Collegiate in their previous meeting back in February of 2020 and fell 44-42. Can Franklin Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.