Basketball Game Preview: American Leadership Academy vs. Ajo Red Raiders

American Leadership Academy and the Ajo Red Raiders will compete for holiday cheer at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. One thing working in American Leadership Academy's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six matchups.

If Ajo heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when American Leadership Academy took over last week. American Leadership Academy walked away with a 79-72 win over Our Lady of the Sun Academy on Monday.

American Leadership Academy can attribute much of their success to CJ Christopher Williams, who dropped a triple-double on 40 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists, and Porter Jones, who went 8 of 15 from beyond the arc on his way to 30 points. That makes it six consecutive games in which Williams has scored at least a third of American Leadership Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryce Adams, who posted six points.

American Leadership Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Ajo had to endure a four-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They took down Estrella 62-47 on Friday.

American Leadership Academy's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.0 points per game. As for Ajo, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.

American Leadership Academy beat Ajo 72-65 when the teams last played last Friday. The rematch might be a little tougher for American Leadership Academy since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.