Basketball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Kaleb Mendez and Jaydence Smith Lead Liberty Tree Academy to Victory

Liberty Tree Academy waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Deer Trail Eagles as they made off with a 56-33 win. With that victory, the War Eagles brought their scoring average up to 50.5 points per game.

Liberty Tree Academy was led to victory by Jaydence Smith and Kaleb Mendez. Smith posted 21 points in addition to seven steals and three blocks, while Mendez went 7 for 11 on his way to 17 points along with six boards and four steals. The dominant performance gave Smith a new career-high in blocks.

Liberty Tree Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in six consecutive contests.

Liberty Tree Academy's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Deer Trail, they are on a 12-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-4.

Liberty Tree Academy will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Monument Academy at 6:30 p.m. on January 8, 2025. Liberty Tree Academy is facing Monument Academy at the right time seeing as Monument Academy is stuck on a three-game losing streak. Deer Trail will also get a bit of a break before their next matchup: they'll face off against Wiley at 4:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025.