Basketball Recap: New Jerusalem Christian Academy Takes a Loss

New Jerusalem Christian Academy has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were three points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 46-43 heartbreaker at the hands of the Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy Eagles.

When it comes to explaining why New Jerusalem Christian Academy lost on Saturday, don't look at Elijah Marcellus. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 25 points and 18 rebounds. With that strong performance, Marcellus is now averaging an impressive 8.8 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Reid, who posted seven points.

Leading Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy to victory were Gavin Henderson and Ryan Butler. Henderson went 7 of 14 on his way to 18 points, while Butler put up 11 points along with five assists and five boards.

New Jerusalem Christian Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 7-4. As for Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, with the win, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 3-7.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. New Jerusalem Christian Academy will take on Land O' Lakes Christian in a holiday battle at at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, they will venture away from home to take on Sarasota Military Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.