Basketball Recap: Merit Preparatory Academy's Run of Ten Straight Wins Now Over

Knights

Previous 5 Games

01/24/25 @ Intermountain Christian	50-64
01/22/25 vs Varsity Opponent	75-57
01/21/25 vs Vanguard Academy	68-42
01/17/25 vs Freedom Prep Academy	74-29
01/14/25 @ Utah Military Academy - Hill Field	43-39

After a string of ten wins, Merit Preparatory Academy's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They received a blow as they fell 64-50 to the Intermountain Christian Lions. The Knights were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Lions apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January of 2024.

Despite the loss, Merit Preparatory Academy still got an impressive performance from Cruz Steinman, who posted 22 points and four steals. The matchup was Steinman's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Miles Petersen, who had 11 points.

It was another big night for Noah Hillaker, who dropped a double-double on 35 points and ten rebounds for Intermountain Christian. Those 35 points gave Hillaker a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Furze, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 14 boards.

Merit Preparatory Academy's defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 13-5. As for Intermountain Christian, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-12.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Merit Preparatory Academy will square off against Varsity Opponent at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Intermountain Christian, they will take on Utah Military Academy - Camp Williams at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.