Basketball Recap: Ben Hardt's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Frederick Baptist Academy over Independent Baptist Academy

Frederick Baptist Academy was the 69-51 winner over Independent Baptist Academy when they last played one another last Friday, but their luck changed this time around. The Frederick Baptist Academy Patriots fell just short of the Independent Baptist Academy Kings by a score of 60-58 on Friday. Even though they lost, the Patriots' still made a splash on offense and bumped their average scoring up to 50.6 points per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

Several Patriots players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Ben Hardt, who posted 20 points and six rebounds. Hardt is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in each of the last five games he's played. James Downs was another key player, putting up 19 points and five assists.

Independent Baptist Academy got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Scott Sisco out in front who dropped a double-double with 11 points and ten boards. Sisco also grabbed eight steals, which is notable because Independent Baptist Academy is 11-3 when he posts at least three steals, but 2-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jeremiah Taplin, who went 7-for-15 on his way to 18 points and five steals.

This is the second loss in a row for Frederick Baptist Academy and nudges their season record down to 6-4. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the defeats came by an average of only 2.5 points. As for Independent Baptist Academy, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 13-6.

Frederick Baptist Academy has already played their next game, a 66-33 win against Martinsburg Christian Academy on the 28th. As for Independent Baptist Academy, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 58-50 loss against Lighthouse Baptist Academy on the 28th.