The Sickles Gryphons will challenge the Hollins Royals at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Sickles knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past nine matchups -- so hopefully Hollins likes a good challenge.
Sickles is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Newsome: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Gryphons blew the Wolves out of the water with a 68-38 final score. The Gryphons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 games by 22 points or more this season.
Jackson Byam
| 01/30/26 vs Newsome | 32 |
| 11/19/25 @ Wharton | 30 |
| 11/25/25 vs Wesley Chapel | 27 |
| 01/16/26 @ Bloomingdale | 25 |
| 12/29/25 vs Franklin | 25 |
Jackson Byam was his usual excellent self, going 12-for-21 on his way to 32 points. Those 32 points gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was OV Nicholson, who dropped a double-double with ten points and ten boards.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Hollins had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 70-55 victory over the Packers. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Royals.
Hollins' win came from a few key players that Sickles will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was George Montgomery, who shot 44% from the field to rack up 16 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. He has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 26 times he's played. Jon Sondergold was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with 17 points and nine boards.
Hollins was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. They racked up eight more assists than Largo's also-impressive total of 12.
Sickles' win bumped their record up to 21-4. As for Hollins, their victory bumped their record up to 14-9.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's matchup: Sickles has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 34.8% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Hollins, though, as they've only made 27.3% of their three-pointers this season. Given Sickles' sizable advantage in that area, the Royals will need to find a way to close that gap.
Sickles beat Hollins 63-53 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Royals' Malachi Miller, who posted 28 points and seven rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for the Gryphons to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
