Basketball Game Preview: Ezekiel Academy Knights vs. Restoration Academy

Ezekiel Academy is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Restoration Academy is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. After both having extra time off, the two teams will dust off their jerseys to take on one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Ezekiel Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Ezekiel Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took down Brooklane Baptist 93-74 two weeks ago. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 108th, while the Eagles are ranked 241st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Ezekiel Academy got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Elijah Taylor out in front who dropped a double-double on 28 points and 13 boards. The dominant performance gave Taylor a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Gerard Johnson, who went 10 of 15 on his way to 22 points and eight rebounds.

Ezekiel Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 14 consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Restoration Academy's good fortune finally ran out last Saturday. They might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Valiant Cross Academy an easy 65-44 victory.

Ezekiel Academy is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.9 points per game. As for Restoration Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.

Ezekiel Academy took their win against Restoration Academy in their previous meeting back in November by a conclusive 55-33. Will Ezekiel Academy repeat their success, or does Restoration Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.