The Union Academy Cardinals suffered their closest loss yet this season on Friday. They fell just short of South Stanly by a score of 61-58. While losing is never fun, Union Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 537th, while South Stanly is ranked 220th).
When it comes to explaining why Union Academy lost, one person who can't be blamed is Aidan Scruitsky. Despite the final result, he scored 24 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Ethan Rangolan was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Even though they lost, Union Academy were working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. This was only their tenth loss (out of 13 games) when they've passed the ball that well.
Union Academy has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-13 record this season. As for South Stanly, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 14-2.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Union Academy's homestand continues as they prepare to take on Mount Pleasant at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. One thing working in Mount Pleasant's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last six matches. As for South Stanly, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Gray Stone Day at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Gray Stone Day comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
