The Futures Knights will square off against the Sacramento Waldorf Waves at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Futures sitting on five straight wins and Sacramento Waldorf on 11.
Last Tuesday, Futures blew past Forest Lake Christian, posting an 89-57 victory. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 20 points or more this season.
| 01/14/25 @ Forest Lake Christian | 13 |
| 01/11/25 vs Western Sierra Collegiate Academy | 7 |
| 01/07/25 vs Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning | 13 |
| 12/13/24 vs Cordova | 6 |
| 12/12/24 vs Golden Valley | 4 |
Futures' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Chris Collins, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds. With that strong performance, Collins is now averaging an impressive 8.4 boards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Lewis, who went 11 for 20 on his way to 28 points and seven rebounds.
Futures smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Sacramento Waldorf was able to grind out a solid victory over John Adams Academy Rsvl/Lin on Tuesday, taking the game 36-26.
Futures better keep an eye on Malachi Miranda. He was instrumental in Sacramento Waldorf's win, going 7 of 16 en route to 17 points and six boards. Another player making a difference was Liam Mason Melberg, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 12 rebounds.
Sacramento Waldorf's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.5 points per game. As for Futures, their victory bumped their record up to 9-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Futures has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 39.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sacramento Waldorf struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Futures strolled past Sacramento Waldorf when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a score of 59-41. The rematch might be a little tougher for Futures since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
