Basketball Recap: Austin Sampson's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Tempe Prep over Gilbert Classical Academy

After flying high against St. John Paul II Catholic last Tuesday, Tempe Prep came back down to earth. The Tempe Prep Knights fell 56-46 to the Gilbert Classical Academy Spartans on Thursday. The Knights have struggled against the Spartans recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.

Several Knights players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Austin Sampson, who went 7 for 17 on his way to 15 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals. Sampson has been hot for a while, having posted four or more steals the last 20 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Cyalan Cotton, who posted eight points and nine boards.

Having lost for the first time this season, Tempe Prep fell to 7-1. As for Gilbert Classical Academy, they now have a winning record of 5-4.

Tempe Prep will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on ALA - Anthem South at 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025. Gilbert Classical Academy and Highland Prep West will compete for holiday cheer at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.