The Southern Academy Cougars will square off against the Edgewood Academy Wildcats at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Southern Academy sitting on six straight wins and the Wildcats on ten.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Southern Academy had no problem doing just that on Friday. They walked away with a 42-31 win over the Chiefs.
Southern Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kaitlyn Sluder led the charge by scoring ten points along with six rebounds and two steals. Madeline Chapman was another key contributor, scoring six points along with ten rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Edgewood Academy put the finishing touches on their 17th blowout victory of the season on Friday. They breezed by Patrician Academy at home to the tune of 57-27. Given Edgewood Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 48th, while the Saints are ranked 216th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Lindsey Brown, who almost dropped a triple-double on 21 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 14 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lexie Smith, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Southern Academy's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-2. As for Edgewood Academy, their win bumped their record up to 26-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Southern Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Edgewood Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Southern Academy might still be hurting after the 49-26 defeat they got from the Wildcats in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. Can Southern Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
