Basketball Recap: Rank Disadvantage No Problem for Avalon

Avalon's tournament run continued when they took on Parkside on Monday. The Avalon Black Knights snuck past the Parkside Eagles with a 76-70 win. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Black Knights' disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 149th in Maryland, while the Eagles are ranked 25th in District of Columbia).

Avalon found their leader in freshman Jordan Fox, who went 10 for 19 on his way to 27 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals. Fox continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Arulefela, who posted 12 points along with five boards and four steals.

When it comes to explaining why Parkside lost, don't look at Colby Murphy. Despite the final result, he had 32 points. Murphy is becoming a predictor of Parkside's success: when he posts at least 20 points the team is 3-1 (and 2-5 when he doesn't). Daiquan Smith was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Avalon's record is now 4-6. As for Parkside, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 5-6.

Avalon wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 98-87 loss against The Living Water School on the 3rd. As for Parkside, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 60-57 defeat against DC International on the 4th.