Ezekiel Academy is 1-9 against East Central HomeSchool since February of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Ezekiel Academy Knights will head out on the road to face off against the East Central HomeSchool Patriots at 6:00 p.m. Ezekiel Academy's defense has only allowed 29.6 points per game this season, so East Central HomeSchool's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Last Thursday, Ezekiel Academy was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 49-45 to Abbeville Christian Academy. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Ezekiel Academy came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 101st, while Abbeville Christian Academy is ranked 245th).
Despite their defeat, Ezekiel Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Addi Newell, who scored 18 points along with two steals, was perhaps the best of all. Newell continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Gianna Johnson, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, East Central HomeSchool can now show off seven landslide victories after their most recent matchup on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Tuscaloosa Home Educators 65-33 on the road. The win was familiar territory for East Central HomeSchool who now have three in a row.
East Central HomeSchool can attribute much of their success to Hannah Bankston, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds, and Micah Coalson, who scored 27 points along with seven assists and two steals. Coalson is absolutely dominating the point category: she's posted at least 15 every time she's taken the court this season. Emma Nelson was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five steals.
Ezekiel Academy's defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-4. As for East Central HomeSchool, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Ezekiel Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 29.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for East Central HomeSchool, though, as they've been averaging only 39.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Ezekiel Academy skirted past East Central HomeSchool 41-38 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Coalson, who shot 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 27 points and ten rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Ezekiel Academy still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
