The Mercer Christian Academy Cavaliers had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.7 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They strolled past Jefferson Christian Academy with points to spare, taking the game 54-39. Given Mercer Christian Academy's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 73rd in West Virginia, while Jefferson Christian Academy is ranked 344th in Virginia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mercer Christian Academy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was MJ Patton, who scored 21 points along with four steals. Patton is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last six games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Chance Watkins, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Jefferson Christian Academy lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Marshall Hopkins, who scored 13 points. Another player making a difference was Solomon Shirey, who scored 14 points.
Mercer Christian Academy's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-6. As for Jefferson Christian Academy, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season.
Mercer Christian Academy will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Mount Hope Christian Academy at 4:00 p.m. Mount Hope Christian Academy has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 238 points over their last three matches. As for Jefferson Christian Academy, they will head out on the road to challenge Pipestem Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Pipestem Christian Academy focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 23 last Tuesday.
