The First Baptist Academy Lions came tearing into Tuesday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. In a tight game that could have gone either way, they made off with a 39-38 victory over Gateway. The score was all tied up 19-19 at the break, but First Baptist Academy was the better team in the second half.
Zara Leilani Stewart was her usual excellent self, scoring 17 points along with five rebounds and two steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of First Baptist Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ella Johnson, who scored 12 points.
Gateway's loss came despite strong showings from Kenyah Moss and Thatiyana Holiday. Moss dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Holiday scored 15 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was Miracle Salters, who scored four points.
Even though they lost, Gateway smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as First Baptist Academy only pulled down five offensive rebounds.
First Baptist Academy pushed their record up to 11-10 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home. As for Gateway, their defeat ended a 11-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 15-3.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. First Baptist Academy will play host again and welcome the Stingrays, where tip off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Seacrest Country Day has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 271 points over their last four contests. As for Gateway, they will be playing at home against the Gators at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Island Coast will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 606th, while the Eagles are ranked 166th).
