Basketball Recap: Rocky Mount Academy Snaps Four-Game Streak of Wins at Home

It was a good run, but Rocky Mount Academy unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 68-63 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Liberty Christian Academy Heat. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 272nd, while the Heat are ranked 127th).

When it comes to explaining why Rocky Mount Academy lost, don't look at Hank Berry. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 28 points and 12 boards. Berry's evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Owen Lewis was another key player, putting up 13 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Rocky Mount Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in six consecutive matches.

Liberty Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Deon Whitner Jr led the charge by dropping a double-double on 16 points and ten boards. Whitner Jr is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Mark Bachmann, who posted 21 points.

Rocky Mount Academy's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-4. As for Liberty Christian Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. After both having extra time off, Rocky Mount Academy and Fayetteville Academy will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 6:45 p.m. on January 7, 2025. As for Liberty Christian Academy, they will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Faith Christian at 6:30 p.m. on January 7, 2025.