The Voyager Academy Vikings will head out on the road to face off against the Excelsior Classical Academy Flying Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Voyager Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight contests -- so hopefully Excelsior Classical Academy likes a good challenge.
Voyager Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 87-35 victory over Roxboro Community. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 55-19.
Voyager Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Alex Wilder led the charge by putting up 16 points. McKinley Hemsley was another key player, posting ten points and five assists.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Excelsior Classical Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They slipped by Eno River Academy 55-54 on Friday. The score was all tied up 31-31 at the break, but the Flying Lions were the better team in the second half.
Excelsior Classical Academy's win came from a few key players Voyager Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hunter Goss, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 19 boards. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down 14 or more in the last six games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Hill, who posted ten points along with six boards and three steals.
Excelsior Classical Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in 11 consecutive games.
Voyager Academy is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.7 points per game. As for Excelsior Classical Academy, they pushed their record up to 11-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Voyager Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Excelsior Classical Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Voyager Academy against Excelsior Classical Academy when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as the squad secured a 78-22 victory. In that match, Voyager Academy amassed a halftime lead of 44-11, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Monday.
