The King's Academy Knights waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They enjoyed a cozy 65-48 win over Priory. Given King's Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 193rd, while Priory is ranked 674th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
King's Academy found their leader in underclassman Xavier Barnett, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Barnett hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Caleb Hughey was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with seven rebounds.
Several Panthers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Teddy Xanthopoulos, who scored ten points along with five rebounds and five blocks. That's the first time this season that Xanthopoulos posted two or more blocks. Another player making a difference was Michael Hildebrandt, who scored 14 points.
Priory struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as King's Academy pulled down 18 offensive rebounds.
King's Academy has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. As for Priory, they bumped their record down to 7-9 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. King's Academy will take on Pinewood at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Priory, they will head out on the road to square off against Crystal Springs Uplands at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.