The Franklin Academy Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Chatham Charter Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Franklin Academy is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.
Last Thursday, Franklin Academy beat Oxford Prep 40-27. Given Franklin Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 223rd, while Oxford Prep is ranked 453rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Sarah Godwin, who scored 20 points along with nine steals and seven rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which she has scored at least 25% of Franklin Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Claire Stengl, who scored four points along with seven steals and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Chatham Charter waltzed into their matchup Friday with two straight wins but they left with three. They came out on top against Eastern Randolph by a score of 49-41.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Chatham Charter to victory, but perhaps none more so than Hannah Headen, who scored 17 points. The contest was Headen's ninth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Meah Brooks, who scored 13 points.
Franklin Academy's win bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Chatham Charter, their victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Franklin Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.2 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Chatham Charter, though, as they've been averaging only 10.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Franklin Academy ended up a good deal behind Chatham Charter in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, losing 51-33. Can Franklin Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
