Basketball Game Preview: Blue Ridge Barons vs. Oak Hill Academy Warriors

Blue Ridge hasn't had much luck against Oak Hill Academy recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. Both will face off at 7:00 p.m. without much rest having both just played. Blue Ridge knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 13 matches -- so hopefully Oak Hill Academy likes a good challenge.

Blue Ridge is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Huntington Expression Prep, who was ranked seventh in their home state at the time (Blue Ridge was ranked second). Blue Ridge fell to Huntington Expression Prep 77-71. The loss put an end to the Barons' undefeated start to the season.

Despite the loss, Blue Ridge saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Derrius Jones went 5 for 9 en route to 14 points in addition to eight rebounds and five assists. Those 14 points gave Jones a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Justin Huang, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 14 points.

Even though they lost, Blue Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Oak Hill Academy beat Mt. Zion Baptist 73-69 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Warriors.

Oak Hill Academy pushed their record up to 15-4 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 40.9 points. As for Blue Ridge, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 21-1.

Blue Ridge suffered a grim 83-58 defeat to Oak Hill Academy in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Can Blue Ridge avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.