Basketball Preview: American Heritage Patriots vs. Salt Lake Academy Griffins
Two dominant guards in Niwhai Winitana and Pedro Perez are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The American Heritage Patriots will be playing at home against the Salt Lake Academy Griffins at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. American Heritage has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 431 points over their last six games.
American Heritage pushed their score all the way to 61 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They received a tough blow as they fell 75-61 to Judge Memorial Catholic. American Heritage has struggled against the Bulldogs recently, as their contest on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake Academy's game on Thursday was all tied up 21-21 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They came out on top against Varsity Opponent by a score of 61-53. The victory was just what Salt Lake Academy needed coming off of a 89-46 loss in their prior match.
Salt Lake Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Perez, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 21 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Lucas Malmstrom, who scored 19 points.
American Heritage's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-10. As for Salt Lake Academy, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
American Heritage was dealt a bruising 96-37 loss at the hands of the Griffins when the teams last played back in November of 2021. Thankfully for American Heritage, Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn (who scored 21 points along with five assists and four 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.
