Basketball Recap: Nathaniel Boyer and Willie Griggs Secure Win for Hope Academy

Hope Academy won the last time they faced Altamonte Christian and things went their way on Thursday too. The Hope Academy Trojan Tigers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 65-63 victory over the Altamonte Christian Eagles. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Trojan Tigers have posted since January 13th.

Leading Hope Academy to victory were Willie Griggs and Nathaniel Boyer. Griggs dropped a triple-double on 14 points, ten boards, and ten blocks, while Boyer went 5 for 9 on his way to 17 points along with seven rebounds and six steals. With that strong performance, Boyer is now averaging an impressive 2 steals per game. Nehemiah Rapael was another key player, putting up nine points and seven rebounds.

Hope Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Altamonte Christian only racked up 11 assists.

Altamonte Christian's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Marcus Goss Jr., who went 5 of 6 en route to 13 points and three steals. That's the most steals Goss Jr. has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Almeda, who went 7 for 12 on his way to 15 points.

The victory (which was Hope Academy's third in a row) raised their record to 19-9. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.3 points per game. As for Altamonte Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-15.

Hope Academy has already played their next game, a 57-52 win against South Lake on the 31st. As for Altamonte Christian, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 53-46 victory against Lake Mary on the 31st.