Two dominant players in Alex Sessoms and Brandon Rivera are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the McKeel Academy Wildcats will jump right back in to play the Faith Christian Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. McKeel Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight matchups -- so hopefully Faith Christian likes a good challenge.
McKeel Academy pushed their score all the way to 58 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Martin County at home by a decisive 72-58 margin. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as McKeel Academy came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 157th, while Martin County is ranked 381st).
Sessoms put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 25 points along with five assists and three steals. He scored a full 43.1% of McKeel Academy's points, the seventh time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Jonsson, who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Faith Christian pushed their score all the way to 58 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were the victim of a tough 83-58 defeat at the hands of Eustis.
Despite their loss, Faith Christian saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jaelen Spellman, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. The contest was Spellman's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Salot Roundtree, who scored ten points.
McKeel Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 6-2. As for Faith Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 7-3.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: McKeel Academy hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 66.2 points per game. It's a different story for Faith Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 66.6 points per game. The only thing between McKeel Academy and another offensive beatdown is Faith Christian. Will they be able to keep them contained?
McKeel Academy came up short against Faith Christian when the teams last played back in December of 2016, falling 50-44. Can McKeel Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
