The Valley Christian Trojans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 contests by 22 points or more this season. They blew past American Leadership Academy - Ironwood, posting a 88-58 victory at home. Given Valley Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked ninth, while American Leadership Academy - Ironwood is ranked 61st), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Valley Christian to victory, but perhaps none more so than Luke Shaw, who scored 22 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. The contest was Shaw's 12th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Wallace, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
American Leadership Academy - Ironwood's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jackson Chapman, who scored 18 points. The match was Chapman's third in a row with at least ten points. Chad Coplin was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with six rebounds.
American Leadership Academy - Ironwood struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Valley Christian pushed their record up to 15-2 with that win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for American Leadership Academy - Ironwood, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-4 record this season.
Valley Christian won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Holbrook at 6:00 p.m. on January 6th. Holbrook is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games. As for American Leadership Academy - Ironwood, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Gilbert Christian at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Gilbert Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully American Leadership Academy - Ironwood likes a good challenge.
