Hammond Academy of Science & Tech is 0-5 against 21st Century Charter since December of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hammond Academy of Science & Tech Hawks will look to defend their home court against the 21st Century Charter Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Even though Hammond Academy of Science & Tech has not done well against River Forest recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Hammond Academy of Science & Tech came out on top in a nail-biter against River Forest and snuck past 48-46. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Hammond Academy of Science & Tech.
Hammond Academy of Science & Tech got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jermaine Bartlett out in front who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Jeffrey Patton was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, 21st Century Charter entered their tilt with Corliss with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. 21st Century Charter claimed a resounding 79-21 victory over Corliss at home. With 21st Century Charter ahead 46-13 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
21st Century Charter's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ron Mosely led the charge by scoring 22 points along with four steals. Mosely has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Terrence Hayes, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Hammond Academy of Science & Tech's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-9. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.7 points per game. As for 21st Century Charter, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Hammond Academy of Science & Tech have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like 21st Century Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Hammond Academy of Science & Tech took a serious blow against 21st Century Charter in their previous meeting back in March of 2022, falling 97-39. The match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Hammond Academy of Science & Tech was down 62-22.