The Friendship Christian Falcons will take on the Thales Academy Apex Titans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
You can't lose the contest if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Friendship Christian's strategy against St. Thomas More Academy on Friday. Friendship Christian took down St. Thomas More Academy 41-27.
Friendship Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Hunter Peed, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Peed is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last five games he's played. Eugene Amadi was another key contributor, scoring six points along with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Meanwhile, Thales Academy Apex waltzed into their contest on Monday with two straight wins but they left with three. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Neuse Christian Academy 81-35 at home. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Thales Academy Apex had established a 39 point advantage.
It was another big night for Nathan Purvis, who scored 27 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. He has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more points the last 13 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Zach Rachmuth, who scored nine points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Friendship Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-7 record this season. As for Thales Academy Apex, their victory bumped their record up to 10-22.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Friendship Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Thales Academy Apex struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Friendship Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Thales Academy Apex when the teams last played back in January, sneaking past 54-52. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Purvis, who scored 24 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Friendship Christian still be able to contain Purvis? There's only one way to find out.
