Basketball Preview: Mt. Zion Prep Academy Warriors vs. Riverdale Baptist Crusaders
Mt. Zion Prep Academy has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Riverdale Baptist Crusaders at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Riverdale Baptist took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Mt. Zion Prep Academy, who comes in off a win.
Last Wednesday, Mt. Zion Prep Academy took their match at home with ease, bagging a 79-38 win over the Lions. Given Mt. Zion Prep Academy's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked ninth in Maryland, while the Lions are ranked 219th in Virginia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mt. Zion Prep Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Londyn Banks led the charge by scoring 15 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Banks has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Makyiah Ward, who scored 13 points.
Meanwhile, Riverdale Baptist was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 53-49 to the Crusaders.
Mt. Zion Prep Academy is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-11 record this season. As for Riverdale Baptist, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-17.
Mt. Zion Prep Academy strolled past the Crusaders in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 65-48. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Riverdale Baptist's Aliyah Eason, who scored 17 points along with two steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Mt. Zion Prep Academy still be able to contain Eason? There's only one way to find out.
