Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 12 more assists than your opponent, a fact the Bowman Academy Eagles proved on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past St. Francis de Sales 53-51. Given Bowman Academy's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 195th in Indiana, while St. Francis de Sales is ranked 419th in Illinois), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Bowman Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Nickolas Black, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Tasean Gates, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds.
Despite the loss, St. Francis de Sales still got an impressive performance from Jerimiya Sims, who scored 15 points. Micheal Woods was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Bowman Academy's victory bumped their record up to 6-7. As for St. Francis de Sales, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost eight of their last ten matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Bowman Academy will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against South Bend Adams at 7:00 p.m. on January 9th. South Bend Adams is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak. As for St. Francis de Sales, they will head out on the road to face off against Bishop McNamara at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bishop McNamara is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
