Basketball Recap: Valiant Cross Academy's Luck Takes a Turn for the Worse on Monday

It was fun while it lasted, but Valiant Cross Academy's undefeated season came to an end after 15 games on Monday. They fell just short of the Riverdale Raiders by a score of 53-50. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Warriors came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 25th in Alabama, while the Raiders are ranked 199th in Georgia).

Deshawn Hall and John Cosby certainly did their best on Monday to avoid the loss. Hall dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 boards, while Cosby went 7 of 13 on his way to 18 points along with six boards and four steals. Hall has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more boards the last 41 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Letwan Hall Jr, who posted six points and seven rebounds.

Even though they lost, Valiant Cross Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in 44 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Riverdale got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Marlon Martin out in front who went 7 of 12 on his way to 16 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Tre Smith, who put up 14 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds.

Having lost for the first time this season, Valiant Cross Academy fell to 15-1. As for Riverdale, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-6.

Valiant Cross Academy wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 71-59 victory against Evangel Christian Academy on the 2nd. As for Riverdale, they will square off against Douglass at 7:00 p.m. on January 7th. Riverdale is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.2 points per game this season.