Basketball Game Preview: Fulton Science Academy Mustangs vs. Cristo Rey Atlanta

Fulton Science Academy hasn't had much luck against Cristo Rey Atlanta recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Fulton Science Academy Mustangs will be playing in front of their home fans against Cristo Rey Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. Fulton Science Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Tuesday, Fulton Science Academy lost to The King's Academy at home by a 71-53 margin. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 478th, while the Knights are ranked 162nd).

Despite their loss, Fulton Science Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Lucas Marks, who went 6 of 13 en route to 15 points and four steals, was perhaps the best of all. Those four steals gave Marks a new career-high. Boomer Vowels was another key player, putting up ten points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Fulton Science Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Cristo Rey Atlanta came tearing into Thursday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Vikings by a score of 55-45.

Fulton Science Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 7-12. As for Cristo Rey Atlanta, their win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-8.

Fulton Science Academy might still be hurting after the 73-51 loss they got from Cristo Rey Atlanta in their previous matchup two weeks ago. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Cristo Rey Atlanta's Jayden Crawford, who dropped a double-double on 34 points and 13 steals. Now that Fulton Science Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.