The Edgewood Academy Wildcats will face off against the Sparta Academy Warriors at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Edgewood Academy will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak.
With a playoff game on the line, Edgewood Academy rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 54-28 victory. Edgewood Academy has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 18 matchups by 22 points or more this season.
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. Madison Martin was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Sparta Academy came tearing into Wednesday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 49-34 win over Chambers Academy. 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's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jamie Ellissa Deason, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Deason is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaitlyn Johnson, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Edgewood Academy's win bumped their record up to 27-3. As for Sparta Academy, they have 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.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Edgewood Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sparta Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Edgewood Academy against Sparta Academy in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 as the squad secured a 66-34 win. With Edgewood Academy ahead 37-16 at the half, the match was all but over already.
