The Thomas Sumter Academy Generals will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Northside Christian Academy Crusaders at 8:00 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Thomas Sumter Academy has struggled recently with 28 losses in a row, while Northside Christian Academy will arrive with six straight wins.
Thomas Sumter Academy suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Tuesday. They were outmatched by Orangeburg Prep on the road and fell 75-17. Thomas Sumter Academy has struggled against Orangeburg Prep recently, as their matchup on Tuesday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Even though Northside Christian Academy has not done well against Palmetto Christian Academy recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Northside Christian Academy walked away with an 82-71 victory over Palmetto Christian Academy. Given Northside Christian Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 106th, while Palmetto Christian Academy is ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Northside Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dane Sundell led the charge by scoring 19 points along with nine assists and five steals. Sullie Crider was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Thomas Sumter Academy's loss was their 15th straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 0-12. As for Northside Christian Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season.
Thomas Sumter Academy was taken down by Northside Christian Academy 78-51 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Thankfully for Thomas Sumter Academy, Drew Kodman (who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and two steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
