Basketball Game Preview: Rise Academy Guardians vs. Cristo Rey Royals

The Rise Academy Guardians are taking a road trip to square off against the Cristo Rey Royals at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Rise Academy's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Rise Academy saw some tournament action back in December of 2024. They came out on top against Dinwiddie by a score of 74-64.

Rise Academy got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Nathaniel Seaborn out in front who posted 26 points. The contest was Seaborn's third in a row with at least ten points. Trevonte Atkins was another key player, putting up 16 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Cristo Rey was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their 11th straight defeat. They were outmatched by The Carmel School and fell 85-52. The Royals were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 58-30.

Rise Academy is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. As for Cristo Rey, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.

Everything came up roses for Rise Academy against Cristo Rey in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 72-42 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rise Academy since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.