The Sparta Academy Warriors will take on the Edgewood Academy Wildcats at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Sparta Academy sitting on four straight wins and Edgewood Academy on 11.
Sparta Academy extended their postseason success on Wednesday against Chambers Academy. They strolled past the Rebels with points to spare, taking the game 49-34. Given Sparta Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while Chambers Academy is ranked 252nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Sparta Academy got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jamie Ellissa Deason out in front who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Deason hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Johnson, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
In what's become a running theme this season, Edgewood Academy gave their fans yet another huge win on Wednesday. They blew past Southern Academy 54-28.
Lindsey Brown was her usual excellent self, scoring 25 points along with six steals and five rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Edgewood Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Martin, who scored eight points along with two steals.
Sparta Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 22-3 record this season. As for Edgewood Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 27-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Sparta Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Edgewood Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Sparta Academy was dealt a bruising 66-34 loss at the hands of Edgewood Academy when the teams last played back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Martin, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 13 rebounds. Now that Sparta Academy knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
