Preview: Merit Preparatory Academy Knights vs. Intermountain Christian Lions
Merit Preparatory Academy has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Intermountain Christian Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Utah (Merit Preparatory Academy is ranked 138th, while Intermountain Christian is ranked 136th).
Merit Preparatory Academy suffered their biggest defeat since November 29, 2023 on Tuesday. They were beaten by American Prep WV 84-52. Merit Preparatory Academy has struggled against American Prep WV recently, as their game on Tuesday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Merit Preparatory Academy saw an underclassman step up: Miles Petersen scored 19 points. Petersen hasn't dropped below 15points for three straight games. Allan Mendonca was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Meanwhile, Intermountain Christian's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They fell to Utah Military Academy - Camp Williams 53-47.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Noah Hillaker, who shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 38.3% of Intermountain Christian's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keaton Okino, who scored 15 points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Merit Preparatory Academy has been struggling recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season. As for Intermountain Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 3-9.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's contest: Merit Preparatory Academy have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 43.3% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Intermountain Christian, though, as they've only made 27.6% of their threes per game this season. Given Merit Preparatory Academy's sizeable advantage in that area, Intermountain Christian will need to find a way to close that gap.
Merit Preparatory Academy strolled past Intermountain Christian in their previous matchup back in February of 2017 by a score of 70-52. The rematch might be a little tougher for Merit Preparatory Academy since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
