Basketball Recap: King's Academy Falls Despite Big Games from Xavier Barnett and Claxton Ladine

If King's Academy was riding high fresh off their 82-59 takedown of Menlo School last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The King's Academy Knights fell just short of the Priory Panthers by a score of 68-66 on Tuesday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Knights came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 87th, while the Panthers are ranked 209th).

Xavier Barnett

Assists

02/04/25 @ Priory	7
01/31/25 vs Menlo School	5
01/28/25 @ Crystal Springs Uplands	4
01/25/25 vs Head-Royce	1
01/24/25 vs Sacred Heart Prep	1
+ 12 more games

Claxton Ladine and Xavier Barnett certainly did their best on Tuesday to avoid the loss. Ladine went 8 for 16 on his way to 20 points and five rebounds, while Barnett posted nine points along with seven assists and six steals. That's the most assists Barnett has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Boss Mhoon, who earned 11 points in addition to five assists and four steals.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: King's Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Priory only racked up seven assists.

Priory's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mate Palotai, who went 6 of 7 en route to 17 points and five boards. Palotai is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 45% in the last seven games he's played. Jai Gerrodette was another key player, putting up 12 points and five steals.

King's Academy's loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 17-4. As for Priory, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season.

King's Academy wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 66-47 victory against Sacred Heart Prep on the 7th. As for Priory, they have also already played their next game, a 98-65 win against Menlo School on the 7th.