Basketball Game Preview: Academy of the New Church Lions vs. Shipley

The Academy of the New Church Lions and Shipley will compete for holiday cheer at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in Academy of the New Church's favor as the squad sits on 16 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Shipley has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.

Academy of the New Church is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Non Varsity Opponent 100-52. With the Lions ahead 60-15 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

It was another big night for Cameron Smith, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 16 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. The game was his fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryce Rollerson, who posted ten points and four steals.

Academy of the New Church was working as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in December of 2023.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 60 points the game before, Shipley was a bit more limited in their contest on Saturday. They took a hard 44-25 fall against Germantown Academy.

The win got Academy of the New Church back to even at 3-3. As for Shipley, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.

Academy of the New Church beat Shipley 73-62 in their previous matchup back in January. Will Academy of the New Church repeat their success, or does Shipley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.