The M.L. King Lions waltzed into Friday's game with two straight wins but they left with three. They snuck past Arabia Mountain with a 61-57 victory. Given M.L. King's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 121st, while Arabia Mountain is ranked 246th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
M.L. King's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kennedy Ruzvidzo jr., who scored 18 points. Ruzvidzo jr. is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Devin Bowers was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with three steals.
Julian Shanks and Joseph Smith certainly did their best on Friday to try and avoid the loss. Shanks scored 21 points, while Smith scored 17 points. The contest was Shanks' eighth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jaden Ward , who scored eight points.
M.L. King's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. As for Arabia Mountain, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-4.
M.L. King won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Towers at 4:30 p.m. on December 9th. Towers has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 208 points over their last three games. As for Arabia Mountain, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Tucker at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Tucker is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
