The Smith Academy Fighting 54th's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their sixth straight loss. They were beaten by Fort Wayne Canterbury 54-20. While losing is never fun, Smith Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 459th, while Fort Wayne Canterbury is ranked 179th).
Fort Wayne Canterbury was led to victory by Deacon Wardlow and Reed Hayes. Wardlow scored seven points along with four steals, while Hayes scored eight points along with 12 rebounds. Aran Padmalingam was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Smith Academy dropped their record down to 2-14 with that defeat, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 26.4 points per game. As for Fort Wayne Canterbury, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a massive bump to their 10-8 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Smith Academy will face off against Elkhart Christian Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Smith Academy comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 22 points in their last six games, a trend the team is of course eager to reverse. As for Fort Wayne Canterbury, they will head out on the road to challenge New Haven at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Fort Wayne Canterbury focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up six on Saturday.
