The Hope Academy Trojan Tigers will face off against the Lake Minneola Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hope Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past ten games -- so hopefully Lake Minneola likes a good challenge.
Hope Academy's tournament run continued when they took on South Sumter last Saturday. Hope Academy enjoyed a cozy 72-55 win over South Sumter. Given the Trojan Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 117th, while the Raiders are ranked 275th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/21/24 vs South Sumter | 10 |
| 12/20/24 vs Eustis | 5 |
| 12/19/24 vs Orlando Christian Prep | 3 |
| 12/16/24 vs Four Corners | 7 |
| 12/14/24 vs Vanguard | 4 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hope Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Willie Griggs, who dropped a triple-double on 13 points, 11 boards, and ten blocks. Griggs is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last 23 games he's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Nehemiah Rapael, who posted 16 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lake Minneola came up short against Stranahan on Saturday and fell 63-56. While the Hawks didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Mighty Dragons 17-9 in the first quarter.
Hope Academy will need focus on slowing down Tyrell Thomas, one of several Lake Minneola players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6 of 10 on his way to 12 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Isom, who put up 11 points and five rebounds.
Lake Minneola has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-6 record this season. As for Hope Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 11-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hope Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Lake Minneola struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
