Recap: The Master's Academy Lions vs. Challenger Firebirds
The Master's Academy Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 26 points or more this season. They put the hurt on Challenger with a sharp 53-27 victory on Friday. Given The Master's Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 202nd, while Challenger is ranked 463rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
The Master's Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Faith Yelton, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it eight consecutive games in which Yelton has scored at least 25% of The Master's Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Macy Bumgarner, who scored ten points along with eight steals and six rebounds.
The Master's Academy's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.0 points per game. As for Challenger, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-4.
The Master's Academy will take on Lake Lure Classical Academy in a holiday battle at 3:00 p.m. on Monday at. Challenger will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Pinnacle Classical Academy on January 10, 2024.
