The King Vikings will square off against the St. Luke's Storm at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in King's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.
Last Friday, King beat South Kent School 65-54.
It was another big night for Aj Trimboli, who went 8 of 16 en route to 21 points along with five assists and three steals. Another player making a difference was Krystian Gaston, who posted ten points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, St. Luke's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They lost 76-55 to Greenwich Country Day. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Storm have suffered since February 12, 2024.
King will have to keep a close watch on David Gjergji and Tyler Newsom, a pair of players who had a big impact on St. Luke's prior game. Gjergji dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards, while Newsom went 7 for 14 on his way to 17 points and five rebounds. Newsom's evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Bryan Wilson was another key player, putting up six points.
Even though they lost, St. Luke's smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.
St. Luke's loss dropped their record down to 5-5. As for King, they pushed their record up to 9-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's game: King has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 9.2 threes per game. It's a different story for St. Luke's, though, as they've been averaging only 2.9 three-pointers. Given King's sizable advantage in that area, St. Luke's will need to find a way to close that gap.
King was able to grind out a solid win over St. Luke's when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 64-56. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was St. Luke's Ethan BienAime, who went 8 of 14 en route to 20 points and seven boards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will King still be able to contain BienAime? There's only one way to find out.
