Preview: King Lions vs. Chamberlain Storm
King is 8-2 against Chamberlain since December of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. Having just played yesterday, the King Lions will get right back to it and host the Chamberlain Storm at 8:00 p.m. on January 17th. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
King suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Tuesday. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 75-50 walloping at the hands of Jesuit. While losing is never fun, King can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 379th, while Jesuit is ranked 66th).
Defeat or not, King got some senior leadership from Julien Barnett and Jabriel Hakim. Barnett dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Hakim. scored 16 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Andreas Jackson, who scored two points along with ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Chamberlain's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of Jefferson by a score of 60-58. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat Chamberlain has suffered yet this season.
Despite their defeat, Chamberlain saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kmar Johnson, who scored 20 points, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Johnson has scored all season. Another player making a difference was DeVonte Spears, who scored 17 points.
King has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-9 record this season. As for Chamberlain, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-13.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: King hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 55.4 points per game. It's a different story for Chamberlain, though, as they've been averaging only 47.6 points per game. The only thing between King and another offensive beatdown is Chamberlain. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Everything went King's way against Chamberlain when the teams last played back in January of 2023 as King made off with a 74-53 win. Does King have another victory up their sleeve, or will Chamberlain turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
