KIPP King is 9-1 against Leadership since February of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The KIPP King Lions will head out on the road to square off against Leadership at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
KIPP King posted their biggest victory yet this season on Tuesday. They really took it to Oakland Charter for the full four quarters, racking up a 54-9 win at home. With KIPP King ahead 36-8 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
KIPP King's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jasmine Bertucci led the charge by scoring 19 points along with eight steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Nikki Li, who scored 18 points along with five steals.
Meanwhile, Leadership came tearing into Friday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against Latitude as Leadership made off with a 40-20 victory.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Leadership to victory, but perhaps none more so than Hannah Tagaga, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tagaga is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Hazel Goundar, who scored eight points along with six steals.
KIPP King pushed their record up to 7-2 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.7 points per game. As for Leadership, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
KIPP King strolled past Leadership when the teams last played back in January of 2023 by a score of 50-32. The rematch might be a little tougher for KIPP King since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
