Berean Christian came tearing into Thursday's match with 13 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They skirted past King's Academy 63-60. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Berean Christian was led to victory by Deonte Smith and Connor Copeland. Smith scored 19 points along with three steals, while Copeland scored 29 points along with two blocks. That's the first time this season that Copeland posted two or more blocks. Another player making a difference was Dalton Claiborne, who scored six points along with five rebounds and two steals.
When it comes to explaining why King's Academy lost, one person who can't be blamed is Harrison Rollins. Despite the final result, he scored 28 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. That was a full 46.7% of King's Academy's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Braden Holliman, who scored 12 points.
Berean Christian pushed their record up to 18-4 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points per game. As for King's Academy, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-18.
Berean Christian won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against First Baptist Academy at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. First Baptist Academy is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for King's Academy, they will head out on the road to face off against Providence Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Tennessee (Providence Academy is ranked 262nd, while King's Academy is ranked 283rd).
