Two of the EYBL Scholastic League’s best teams will face off at the National High School Hoops Festival in Hyattsville, Md., when No. 18 Oak Hill Academy takes on Faith Family Academy on Saturday, Dec. 13. The game will tip off at 2:20 p.m. EST.
Oak Hill enters the contest with three straight victories in Scholastic League play, the longest active streak in the league. Most recently, the Warriors (9-2, 3-1 Scholastic) knocked off Utah Prep, 77-60, and Veritas Academy, 79-59, in Benton, Ky. last weekend.
Faith Family has opened its Scholastic League schedule with a 2-1 record, with its lone loss coming by one point in the league opener to The St. James Academy, 53-52. The Eagles’ (9-2, 2-1 Scholastic) two-game winning streak is tied for the second longest in the league.
Saturday’s matinee will be a clash of offense versus defense. In League games, Oak Hill has averaged a league-best 73.5 points, while Faith Family has allowed just 54.7 points per game, the league’s second-lowest mark.
Oak Hill possesses one of the most potent offensive duos in the country with four-star senior forward Ethan Mgbako and five-star junior guard LJ Smith. The two are the only pair of teammates in the Scholastic League averaging 18+ points per game.
A Vanderbilt commit, Mgbako is averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in his Scholastic League games. Smith, who is ranked top 10 nationally by ESPN, is committed to Ohio State and has logged 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He leads the Scholastic League with 13 made threes, drilling 40.6% of his shots from beyond the arc.
Jumping off the page for Faith Family is twin senior forwards Gavin and Gallagher Placide. Both are four-stars who are top 80 recruits nationally and committed to Wake Forest. Through three Scholastic League games, Gavin Placide leads the Eagles with 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 60.0% from the field in Scholastic play.
Faith Family also has the top two sophomores from the state of Texas. Five-star big man, Texas’ top player in the Class of 2028, Xavier Young is averaging 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game. Four-star guard Josiah Rose is putting up 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
Oak Hill is looking to extend its winning streak to four, its longest in Scholastic League competition since winning five straight between December 2023 and January 2024. Meanwhile, Faith Family is in its first year in the League.
The contest will be loaded with talent on both sides, featuring two five-star and four four-star prospects, as well as over seven other players with at least one Division I offer.
Player to Watch: Ethan Mgbako, Oak Hill
Mgbako leads an Oak Hill squad full of new faces. The 6-foot-6 four-star was third in scoring in the EYBL Scholastic League last season with 16.3 points, but the recent Vanderbilt commit has taken his game to the next level so far this season with nearly 20 points per game.
Mgbako possesses a strong skillset as a forward, playing like a big guard. A scorer at heart, he is incredibly comfortable getting to his spots and converting in the mid-range. He selected the Commodores over LSU, Texas A&M, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh.
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