Air Academy comes up short despite Max Howery's dominant performance

By Team Reports Jan 15, 2024, 1:34pm

Recap: Air Academy Kadets vs. Palmer Terrors

The Air Academy Kadets's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fifth straight loss. They took a hard 61-45 fall against Palmer. The contest was a 25-25 toss-up at halftime, but Air Academy was outscored by Palmer in the second.

When it comes to explaining why Air Academy lost, one person who can't be blamed is Max Howery. Despite the final result, he scored 19 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Howery hasn't dropped below 15points for nine straight games. Another player making a difference was Noah Hellem, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds.

Air Academy struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Palmer racked up 15 assists.

Palmer got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Walker Asp out in front who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 12 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Asp has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of J'twane Mike, who scored 16 points along with three blocks.

Air Academy has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-10 record this season. As for Palmer, the win (which was their eighth in a row) raised their record to 13-1.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Air Academy will take on Discovery Canyon at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Discovery Canyon is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road. As for Palmer, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Widefield at 7:00 p.m. Widefield will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Colorado Rankings (they are ranked 265th, while Palmer is ranked 19th).