Flint River Academy and Oak Mountain Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. The Flint River Academy Wildcats will venture away from home to challenge the Oak Mountain Academy Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Flint River Academy will be strutting in after a victory while Oak Mountain Academy will be coming in after a loss.
Flint River Academy got their first taste of in-conference action this week and they started things off strong. They skirted past LaGrange Academy 43-40. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted since December 13, 2024.
| 01/28/25 vs LaGrange Academy | 4 |
| 01/20/24 vs Westwood | 4 |
| 01/14/25 vs Strong Rock Christian | 3 |
| 01/23/24 vs St. George's | 3 |
| 02/09/24 vs Oak Mountain Academy | 3 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Flint River Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Cole Riner, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. What's more, Riner also racked up four steals, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was D. J. Baums, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 boards.
Flint River Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 26 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Oak Mountain Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat. They had to suffer through a 82-30 loss at the hands of Georgia Force Christian. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 590th, while the Blue Knights are ranked 240th).
Flint River Academy will have to contain Jeb Harper as he made an impact in Oak Mountain Academy's last game. He dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds. Patrick Marlow also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Oak Mountain Academy's loss dropped their record down to 1-11. As for Flint River Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Flint River Academy hasn't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 8.6 turnovers per game. It's a different story for Oak Mountain Academy, though, as they've been averaging 23.7 turnovers. Given Flint River Academy's sizable advantage in that area, Oak Mountain Academy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Flint River Academy came up short against Oak Mountain Academy in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 47-43. Can Flint River Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
