Basketball Recap: Julian Gill's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Crooms Academy over Elite Prep Academy

After flying high against Warner Christian Academy last Friday, Crooms Academy came back down to earth. The Crooms Academy Panthers took a 53-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Elite Prep Academy Eagles. The Panthers were not able to make up for their defeat to the Eagles from their previous meeting back in January.

Crooms Academy's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Julian Gill, who dropped a triple-double on 23 points, ten boards, and ten steals. Gill's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Kenai Anderson was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds.

Even though they lost, Crooms Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

It was another big night for Kirk Duhaney, who went 7 of 11 on his way to 25 points along with seven blocks and five boards for Elite Prep Academy. The team also got some help courtesy of King Williams, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 15 points and three steals.

Crooms Academy now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Elite Prep Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 6-5 record this season.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Crooms Academy Panthers take on the Family Christian Academy Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Crooms Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.1 points per game this season. As for Elite Prep Academy, they and Hampden DuBose Academy will face off at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday without much rest having both just played. Hampden DuBose Academy also hasn't been messing around on offense: they've averaged 52.7 points per game.