Friends' Central has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Academy of the New Church Lions at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Friends' Central has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 600 points over their last eight contests.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Friends' Central walked away with it. They managed a 63-59 win over the on Tuesday. Given Friends' Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 21st, while Westtown is ranked 101st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Friends' Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Muhsin Muhammad, who scored 22 points. Muhammad has been hot recently, having posted 18 or more points the last five times he's played. Fazl Oshodi was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Meanwhile, Academy of the New Church came tearing into Tuesday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Friends Select by a score of 53-45. Despite the win, that was the fewest points Academy of the New Church has scored all year.
Academy of the New Church's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Bahsil Laster, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and two blocks. Another player making a difference was Tobe Nwobu, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
Friends' Central pushed their record up to 18-4 with that win, which was their tenth straight at home. As for Academy of the New Church, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-4 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Friends' Central have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Academy of the New Church struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Friends' Central came up short against Academy of the New Church when the teams last played back in January, falling 64-51. Can Friends' Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
