The John Paul II Catholic Saints pushed their score all the way to 59 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were outmatched by Northwood Temple Academy on the road and fell 98-59. While losing is never fun, John Paul II Catholic can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 363rd, while Northwood Temple Academy is ranked 177th).
Despite the defeat, John Paul II Catholic saw an underclassman step up: Caleb Knight scored 16 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyle Watkins , who scored 13 points.
Leading Northwood Temple Academy to victory were Winston Waite and Kenny Vera. Waite scored 29 points, while Vera dropped a triple-double on 26 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. The match was Vera's 15th in a row with at least ten points. Elijah Kindle was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with three steals.
John Paul II Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 3-6. As for Northwood Temple Academy, their win bumped their record up to 10-5.
John Paul II Catholic won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Southern Wake Academy at 3:00 p.m. on December 22nd. Northwood Temple Academy won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Harrells Christian Academy at 4:30 p.m. on December 22nd.
