The Air Academy Kadets will face off against the Sand Creek Scorpions at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Air Academy has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight losses, while Sand Creek will come in with three straight wins.
Last Tuesday, Air Academy lost to Liberty on the road by a 64-48 margin. While losing is never fun, the Kadets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 221st, while the Lancers are ranked 28th).
| 01/07/25 @ Liberty | 16 |
| 12/21/24 vs Pueblo South | 15 |
| 12/19/24 vs Elizabeth | 15 |
| 12/12/24 vs Frederick | 13 |
| 12/05/24 vs Widefield | 10 |
The losing side was boosted by Brody Winnett, who posted 16 points. Those 16 points gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Levi Wyman, who had six points and six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Air Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Sand Creek strolled past Widefield with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 58-41.
Air Academy better keep an eye on Elijah Brotherns. He was instrumental in Sand Creek's win, going 8 of 13 on his way to 17 points and four steals. Brotherns has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Wuol Chak, who put up 11 points.
Sand Creek's victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Air Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Air Academy has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Sand Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Air Academy came up short against Sand Creek when the teams last played back in February of 2020, falling 52-43. Can Air Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
