The Lutheran Lions will head out on the road to face off against the Air Academy Kadets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lutheran will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Colorado Rankings (they are ranked 76th, while Air Academy is ranked 12th).
Lutheran blew Lewis-Palmer out of the water the last time the pair played, but on TuesdayLewis-Palmer got their revenge. Lutheran fell just short of Lewis-Palmer by a score of 44-41. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat Lutheran has suffered yet this season.
Despite the defeat, Lutheran got a solid performance out of Berkley Schneider, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and ten rebounds. Schneider hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Isla Koffman, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Air Academy waltzed into their game on Tuesday with seven straight wins but they left with eight. They were the clear victor by a 57-35 margin over Palmer Ridge. Air Academy has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 20 points or more this season.
Caitlin Kramer continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 25 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lydia Flowers, who scored ten points along with six steals and five assists.
Lutheran's defeat dropped their record down to 8-8. As for Air Academy, their victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lutheran have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Air Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lutheran ended up a good deal behind Air Academy when the teams last played back in February of 2023, losing 65-48. Can Lutheran avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
