Basketball Game Preview: Whitefield Academy WolfPack vs. St. Francis Knights

Whitefield Academy hasn't had much luck against St. Francis recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Whitefield Academy WolfPack will head out on the road to take on the St. Francis Knights at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Whitefield Academy is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing King's Ridge Christian: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Whitefield Academy blew King's Ridge Christian out of the water with an 81-38 final score. The victory was familiar territory for the WolfPack who have now won three games in a row.

Whitefield Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hailey Houlder led the charge by going 8 of 17 on her way to 26 points along with eight assists and seven boards. Houlder's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Amelia Newman, who went 11 for 16 en route to 28 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals.

Whitefield Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 24 consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, St. Francis came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 45.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their game with ease, bagging a 77-18 win over the Eagles. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked seventh, while the Eagles are ranked 333rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

St. Francis' victory was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.8 points per game. As for Whitefield Academy, their record now sits at 15-9.

Whitefield Academy took a serious blow against St. Francis in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 101-12. Can Whitefield Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.