The Heritage Academy Gateway Heroes had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.2 points), and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. They walked away with a 76-67 win over Mission Heights Prep. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Heritage Academy Gateway got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Landon Johnston out in front who scored 19 points along with three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Johnston has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Talon Lemieux, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds.
When it comes to explaining why Mission Heights Prep lost, one person who can't be blamed is Emmanuel Kiprotich. Despite the final result, he scored 26 points. Kiprotich continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Rylend Doble was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Heritage Academy Gateway's win bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Mission Heights Prep, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-3 record this season.
Heritage Academy Gateway will face off against Empower College Prep at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Empower College Prep will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings (they are ranked 141st, while Heritage Academy Gateway is ranked 36th). As for Mission Heights Prep, they will be playing in front of their home fans against James Madison Preparatory School at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. James Madison Preparatory School is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'.
