The Hernando Christian Academy Lions were the 70-63 winner over the First Academy Eagles when they last played one another back in February, but their luck changed this time around. Hernando Christian Academy fell just short of First Academy by a score of 49-46.
Hernando Christian Academy's lost on Friday despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Jaden Montzka, who scored 11 points. The matchup was Montzka's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Carson Hedick, who scored 14 points.
First Academy was led to victory by Bryce Norflee and Amari Smith. Norflee scored 12 points along with 5 steals, while Smith dropped a double-double on 16 points and 16 rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which Smith has scored at least 25% of First Academy's points. Rhett Walsh was another key contributor, scoring 7 points along with 10 rebounds and 3 steals.
Hernando Christian Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for First Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hernando Christian Academy will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Classical Prep at 7:00 p.m. on January 2, 2024. First Academy will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against Seven Rivers Christian at 7:30 p.m. on December 11th. Hopefully Seven Rivers Christian focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 18 on Friday.
