The American Leadership Academy Eagles will challenge the Draper APA Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: American Leadership Academy has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Draper APA will arrive with three straight wins.
Last Tuesday, American Leadership Academy came up short against Logan and fell 59-46. That's two games in a row now that the Eagles have lost by exactly 13 points.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Tad Swarnes, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten boards. Malakai Mack was another key player, going 5 for 11 on his way to 11 points and three steals.
While Draper APA didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victor by a 73-52 margin over Wayne back in December of 2024. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 21 points or more this season.
Draper APA's win came from a few key players American Leadership Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Urban Baldwin, who went 7 of 17 on his way to 16 points in addition to eight assists and seven steals. That's the most steals he has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Jacobsen, who went 6 of 14 on his way to 16 points and three steals.
Draper APA was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matchups.
Draper APA's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points per game. As for American Leadership Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 9-4.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's contest: American Leadership Academy has been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 37.2% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Draper APA, though, as they've only made 25.6% of their threes this season. Given American Leadership Academy's sizable advantage in that area, Draper APA will need to find a way to close that gap.
American Leadership Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Draper APA in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 73-68 win. Will American Leadership Academy repeat their success, or does Draper APA have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
