Basketball Recap: Marco Tapia's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Smith Academy over Oak Farm Montessori

The Smith Academy Fighting 54th lost to the Oak Farm Montessori Falcons on the road by a 52-36 margin on Thursday. The Fighting 54th were down 52-24 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Several Fighting 54th players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Marco Tapia, who shot 47% from the field to rack up 14 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Judah Smith, who posted eight points along with 11 boards and six assists.

Smith Academy's loss dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Oak Farm Montessori, the victory got them back to even at 1-1.

Smith Academy wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 62-37 defeat against Clinton Christian on the 13th. As for Oak Farm Montessori, they will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Kosciusko County HomeSchool at 7:00 p.m. on January 27, 2026.