The Hope Academy Trojan Tigers suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Friday. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 64-42 walloping at the hands of Southland Christian. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Hope Academy has scored all season.
Despite the defeat, Hope Academy saw an underclassman step up: Dwayne Foreman III scored 18 points along with three steals. Foreman III is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last 18 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Nehemiah Rapael, who scored seven points.
Hope Academy struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Southland Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Juan Rios led the charge by scoring 17 points along with five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Derek Lopez, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds.
Hope Academy has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 16-8 record this season. As for Southland Christian, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-7.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Hope Academy won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Downey Christian at 2:00 p.m. on January 20th. Downey Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past four games -- so hopefully Hope Academy likes a good challenge. As for Southland Christian, Southland Christian and City of Life Christian Academy will face off at 6:30 p.m. on January 22nd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. City of Life Christian Academy 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 641st, while Southland Christian is ranked 216th).
