The College Prep & Leadership Academy Royals waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins but they left with three. They walked away with a 79-68 win over Leadership Academy. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead College Prep & Leadership Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Robert Knotts, who dropped a triple-double on 18 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. That's the first time this season that Knotts pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyrie Pressley, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds and two blocks.
Despite the loss, Leadership Academy saw an underclassman step up: Caden Ryker scored 21 points along with two steals. Ryker continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Will Martin, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds.
College Prep & Leadership Academy's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 73.4 points per game. As for Leadership Academy, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season.
College Prep & Leadership Academy will be playing at home against Dudley at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Dudley presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than College Prep & Leadership Academy in North Carolina (Dudley is ranked 149th, while College Prep & Leadership Academy is ranked 340th). Leadership Academy won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Rockingham County at 1:30 p.m. on January 13th. Rockingham County is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 60.2 points per game.
