The Riverdale Baptist Crusaders pushed their score all the way to 61 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of Shining Star Sports Academy by a score of 64-61. While losing is never fun, Riverdale Baptist can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 41st in Maryland, while Shining Star Sports Academy is ranked second in Virginia).
When it comes to explaining why Riverdale Baptist lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ariana Meriedy. Despite the final result, she scored 21 points along with six rebounds and three blocks. Another player making a difference was Aliyah Eason, who scored nine points along with seven assists.
It was another big night for Sira Thienou, who almost dropped a double-double on 27 points and nine rebounds for Shining Star Sports Academy. That makes it four consecutive games in which Thienou has scored at least a third of Shining Star Sports Academy's points. Harrissoum Coulibaly was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Riverdale Baptist has traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 17-23 record this season. As for Shining Star Sports Academy, they pushed their record up to 23-4 with that victory, which was their sixth straight on the road.
Riverdale Baptist will stay at home for another game and welcome Shabach Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on February 24th. Shabach Christian Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past five contests -- so hopefully Riverdale Baptist likes a good challenge. As for Shining Star Sports Academy, they will be playing at home against Mt. Zion Prep Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Mt. Zion Prep Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
