The Academy for Classical Education Gryphons will head out on the road to square off against the Spencer Greenwave at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Academy for Classical Education has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while Spencer will arrive with five straight victories.
Academy for Classical Education pushed their score all the way to 61 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell to Rutland 65-61.
Despite the loss, Academy for Classical Education saw an underclassman step up: Camden Bailey scored 24 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bailey has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kanyin Oni, who scored eight points along with ten rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, Spencer didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Central on Tuesday, but they still walked away with a 57-51 victory. Given Spencer's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 126th, while Central is ranked 415th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Spencer to victory, but perhaps none more so than Demarcus Horne, who scored 11 points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Joe Dozier, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Academy for Classical Education bumped their record down to 5-10 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Spencer, their win bumped their record up to 13-1.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Academy for Classical Education have been dynamite from deep this season, having only nailed 33.6% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Spencer struggles in that department as they've drained 44.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Academy for Classical Education was dealt a bruising 96-41 loss at the hands of Spencer when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Can Academy for Classical Education avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
