Basketball Game Preview: Life Prep Fire vs. St. Mary's Academy Crusaders

Life Prep is 5-0 against St. Mary's Academy since December of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Life Prep Fire will host the St. Mary's Academy Crusaders at 3:45 p.m. Life Prep is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.3 points per game this season.

Life Prep is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Grind Prep, who was ranked tenth in their home state at the time (Life Prep was ranked third). Life Prep took a 63-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Grind Prep on Tuesday. The Fire haven't had much luck with the G.R.I.N.D recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Laterro Young, who went 6 of 12 on his way to 12 points along with five boards and four steals. That's the most steals he has posted since back in January. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Munnings, who posted 13 points in addition to six boards and four steals.

Even though they lost, Life Prep smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, St. Mary's Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were outmatched by Metro Academy and fell 56-21.

St. Mary's Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Life Prep, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.

Life Prep took their victory against St. Mary's Academy in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 52-29. Will Life Prep repeat their success, or does St. Mary's Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.