Basketball Game Preview: River Ridge Royal Knights vs. Academy of the Holy Names Jaguars

The River Ridge Royal Knights will head out on the road to square off against the Academy of the Holy Names Jaguars at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. River Ridge is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.

Last Tuesday, River Ridge blew past Fivay, posting a 57-28 victory. The Royal Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 28 points or more this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead River Ridge to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lauren Lee, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 boards. Lee is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last six games she's played. Another player making a difference was Makayla Greene, who went 5 for 11 on her way to 12 points in addition to eight boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Academy of the Holy Names had to suffer through a 59-29 loss at the hands of Steinbrenner. While losing is never fun, the Jaguars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 318th, while the Warriors are ranked 72nd).

River Ridge's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-6. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.2 points per game. As for Academy of the Holy Names, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-12 record this season.

River Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over Academy of the Holy Names in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 39-30. The rematch might be a little tougher for River Ridge since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.