Two dominant guards in Tico Smith and Amari Smith are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Meadowbrook Academy Mustangs and the First Academy Eagles will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 25th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Meadowbrook Academy has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 197 points over their last three matchups.
Meadowbrook Academy pushed their score all the way to 66 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 67-66 to Real Life Christian Academy. Meadowbrook Academy found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and rack up 19 fewer assists than your opponent.
Despite the defeat, Meadowbrook Academy had strong showings from Zach Ross, who scored 20 points along with nine steals and seven rebounds, and Smith, who scored 29 points along with two steals. That was a full 43.9% of Meadowbrook Academy's points, marking the 13th time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gaige Daugherty, who scored seven points along with six assists and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, First Academy earned a 51-41 win over Hampden DuBose Academy on Tuesday. The win made it back-to-back wins for First Academy.
It was another big night for Smith, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 19 rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games he's played. Bryce Norflee was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with nine rebounds.
Meadowbrook Academy's loss dropped their record down to 12-7. As for First Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 8-9 record this season.
Thursday's matchup is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Meadowbrook Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like First Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Meadowbrook Academy beat First Academy 61-53 in their previous matchup back in November of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Smith, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and six steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Meadowbrook Academy still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
