The Vine Christian Academy Kings pushed their score all the way to 58 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell to 212 Sports Academy 62-58. Vine Christian Academy has not had much luck with 212 Sports Academy recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
When it comes to explaining why Vine Christian Academy lost, one person who can't be blamed is Keniel Velez. Despite the final result, he shot 7-for-14 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 34 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 58.6% of Vine Christian Academy's points, marking the eighth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Luis Carias, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
212 Sports Academy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jovan Jovanovic, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds. Jovanovic continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Adrian Rodriguez was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with 12 rebounds and five assists.
Vine Christian Academy bumped their record down to 6-7 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road. As for 212 Sports Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-2 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Vine Christian Academy on the road again on Tuesday and play against DME Academy Gold at 6:30 p.m. on January 23rd. DME Academy Gold comes in still looking for their first win of the season. As for 212 Sports Academy, they will head out on the road to face off against ABF Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
