The Oak Grove Panthers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their sixth straight loss. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 73-47 walloping at the hands of Summit Christian Academy. While losing is never fun, Oak Grove can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 397th, while Summit Christian Academy is ranked 105th).
Oak Grove's loss came despite strong showings from Maurkalip Riley and Jaxon Weber. Riley scored seven points along with seven rebounds and three steals, while Weber scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Oak Grove struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Summit Christian Academy found their leader in underclassman Mike Thomas iii, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds. Thomas iii hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for seven straight games. Another player making a difference was Max Rieger, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Oak Grove has been struggling recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-10 record this season. As for Summit Christian Academy, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 11-5.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Oak Grove will take on St. Paul Lutheran at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Summit Christian Academy, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Clinton on Tuesday.
