Excelsior Classical Academy has won three straight games at home, while Voyager Academy has won three straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Monday. The Excelsior Classical Academy Flying Lions will host the Voyager Academy Vikings at 6:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Excelsior Classical Academy will bounce into Monday's game after beating Eno River Academy, who they had gone 0-3 against in their three prior meetings. Excelsior Classical Academy escaped with a win on Friday against Eno River Academy by the margin of a single free throw, 55-54. The score was all tied up 31-31 at the break, but the Flying Lions were the better team in the second half.
Hunter Goss
| 01/31/25 vs Eno River Academy | 19 |
| 01/28/25 @ Discovery Charter School | 14 |
| 01/27/25 vs Cristo Rey Research Triangle | 19 |
| 01/24/25 @ Henderson Collegiate | 21 |
| 01/17/25 @ Roxboro Community | 17 |
| 01/15/25 vs Cristo Rey Research Triangle | 21 |
Excelsior Classical Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hunter Goss led the charge by dropping a double-double on 15 points and 19 rebounds. Goss has been hot, having posted 14 or more boards the last six times he's played. Tyler Hill was another key player, putting up ten points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
Excelsior Classical Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in 11 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Voyager Academy). They took their match on Friday with ease, bagging an 87-35 victory over Roxboro Community. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 24 points or more this season.
Voyager Academy's win came from a few key players Excelsior Classical Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Alex Wilder, who posted 16 points. Another player making a difference was McKinley Hemsley, who put up ten points and five assists.
Voyager Academy is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a massive bump to their 16-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.7 points per game. As for Excelsior Classical Academy, their win bumped their record up to 11-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Excelsior Classical Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 40.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Voyager Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Excelsior Classical Academy was taken down by Voyager Academy 78-22 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Excelsior Classical Academy was down 44-11.
