The Union Academy Cardinals will head out on the road to challenge the Queen's Grant Stallions at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Union Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56.3 points per game this season.
It was a proper cat-fight when Union Academy challenged Mount Pleasant on Tuesday. Union Academy took a 57-47 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mount Pleasant. The Cardinals have struggled against the Tigers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Lloyd Barnes
| 02/18/25 vs Mount Pleasant | 17 |
| 02/17/25 vs Albemarle | 10 |
| 02/12/25 @ Monroe | 8 |
| 02/11/25 vs Mount Pleasant | 4 |
| 02/07/25 vs South Stanly | 4 |
| + 18 more games |
Despite the defeat, Union Academy saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Lloyd Barnes to rack up 17 points and eight rebounds. Barnes continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Heath Lunsford, who posted seven points.
Meanwhile, Queen's Grant had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.4 points) and they went ahead and made it ten on Saturday. They took down the Comets 78-62.
Union Academy better focus on containing Mekhi Allen and Preston Scott as the pair were huge in Queen's Grant's win. Allen en route to 26 points in addition to seven boards and three steals, while Scott on his way to 19 points along with eight assists and five rebounds. The dominant performance gave Scott a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ian Howard, who earned ten points and three steals.
Queen's Grant smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.
Queen's Grant's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-7. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 85.3 points over those games. As for Union Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 13-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Union Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Queen's Grant struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Union Academy lost to Queen's Grant on the road by a decisive 70-55 margin in their previous meeting back in December of 2021. Thankfully for Union Academy, Cyrus Faherty (who to rack up 21 points in addition to eight boards and five steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
