Basketball Recap: Kenai Anderson Key Part of a Team Effort in Panthers Win

Crooms Academy hadn't done well against Orangewood Christian recently (they were 0-7 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Crooms Academy Panthers walked away with a 78-70 victory over the Orangewood Christian Rams. For the Panthers, this counts as revenge for the 77-56 win the Rams walked away with the last time they faced one another back in December of 2023.

Crooms Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kenai Anderson, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 14 rebounds. Anderson is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played. Julian Gill was another key player, going 10 of 16 on his way to 25 points and six boards.

Orangewood Christian lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Luke Ulmer, who went 7 for 15 en route to 20 points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Noah Rigg, who posted 11 points along with six rebounds and six steals.

Crooms Academy is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.4 points per game. As for Orangewood Christian, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 5-11.

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Crooms Academy Panthers face off against the Oasis Christian Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Oasis Christian has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games. Orangewood Christian has already played their next contest, a 79-73 win against Circle Christian on the 17th.