Preview: Southwest Leadership Academy Rams vs. West Phoenix Eagles
Southwest Leadership Academy is 8-2 against West Phoenix since December of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Southwest Leadership Academy Rams will head out on the road to square off against the West Phoenix Eagles at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Southwest Leadership Academy has seven straight victories, West Phoenix has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Southwest Leadership Academy can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent contest on Friday. They blew past Alta Vista Charter 56-23 at home. Given Southwest Leadership Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 94th, while Alta Vista Charter is ranked 227th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Southwest Leadership Academy got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Serious Sykes out in front who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 19 rebounds. Sykes is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Ayden Gonzales was another key contributor, scoring six points along with seven assists and six rebounds.
West Phoenix suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Tuesday. They were beaten by Imagine Prep 83-41. West Phoenix has struggled against Imagine Prep recently, as their matchup on Tuesday was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.
Southwest Leadership Academy pushed their record up to 9-2 with that victory, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.9 points per game. As for West Phoenix, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-10 record this season.
Southwest Leadership Academy skirted past West Phoenix 58-55 when the teams last played back in January of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was West Phoenix's Solomon Karim, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Southwest Leadership Academy to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
