The Air Academy Kadets won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Thursday. They were the victim of a tough 85-61 loss at the hands of Lutheran. While losing is never fun, Air Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 138th, while Lutheran is ranked ninth).
Air Academy's loss came despite strong showings from Noah Hellem and Max Howery. Hellem scored 25 points, while Howery scored 15 points along with seven assists and four steals. That was a full 41% of Air Academy's points, marking the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Brennan, who scored seven points.
Lutheran got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Hunter Caldwell out in front who scored 21 points along with seven rebounds. Caldwell hasn't dropped below 15 points for five straight games. Braydon Jacob was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with eight rebounds and six assists.
Air Academy's loss dropped their record down to 6-12. As for Lutheran, the victory was the 14th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-2.
Air Academy on the road again on Monday and play against Discovery Canyon at 6:00 p.m. on January 29th. Hopefully Discovery Canyon focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Thursday. As for Lutheran, they will play host again and welcome Golden, where tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. That game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Slade Pike and Jacob.
