The M.L. King Lions waltzed into their contest Saturday with three straight wins but they left with four. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 69-66 victory over Towers. Given M.L. King's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while Towers is ranked 299th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kennedy Ruzvidzo jr. was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 26 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least 25% of M.L. King's points. Devin Bowers was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with five rebounds.
Towers' loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jalen Kelly, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Kelly is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mekyrius Miller, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds.
M.L. King's victory bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Towers, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-3.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. M.L. King will square off against Lithonia at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Towers, they will head out on the road to face off against Elite Scholars Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Elite Scholars Academy is out to stop a four-game streak of losses at home.
