Basketball Game Preview: Innovation Academy The Red Tailed Hawk vs. Notre Dame Cristo Rey Panthers

Innovation Academy has gone 4-0 against Notre Dame Cristo Rey recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Innovation Academy The Red Tailed Hawk will host the Notre Dame Cristo Rey Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Innovation Academy is looking for their season's first win.

Last Wednesday, Innovation Academy lost to St. Bernard's Central Catholic on the road by a 62-48 margin.

Despite their defeat, Innovation Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Bryce Kankam, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 18 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. With that strong performance, Kankam is now averaging an impressive 9.2 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Vega, who posted 15 points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Notre Dame Cristo Rey). They took their matchup on Friday with ease, bagging a 104-74 victory over Academy of Notre Dame. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 21 points or more this season.

Notre Dame Cristo Rey's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.2 points per game. As for Innovation Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.

Innovation Academy beat Notre Dame Cristo Rey 63-50 when the teams last played back in January of 2019. Does Innovation Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Notre Dame Cristo Rey turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.