It was a good run, but the First Academy Eagles unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Monday. They took a 79-67 hit to the loss column at the hands of Crooms Academy. First Academy was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Panthers apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in December of 2023.
Despite the loss, First Academy still got an impressive performance from Amari Smith, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 14 rebounds. Smith hasn't dropped below 13 rebounds for six straight games. Another player making a difference was Bryce Norflee, who scored 16 points.
Even though they lost, First Academy were working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Crooms Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Tyrell Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds. Johnson hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of D'Elio Cestero, who scored 17 points along with five assists and five rebounds.
First Academy's loss dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Crooms Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-9 record this season.
First Academy won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on January 30th. Hopefully Innovation Montessori focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 11 last Friday. As for Crooms Academy, they will head out on the road to take on the Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
