The Lutheran Lions will be playing at home against the Air Academy Kadets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lutheran will be looking to extend their current 13-game winning streak.
Lutheran can now show off five landslide victories after their most recent contest on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Lewis-Palmer as Lutheran made off with a 72-46 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Lutheran has posted since December 8, 2023.
Lutheran's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Hunter Caldwell, who shot 4-for-5 from long range and dropped a double-double on 21 points and 18 rebounds. Caldwell is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Braydon Jacob, who scored 22 points.
Air Academy posted their closest win yet this season on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 53-51 victory over Palmer Ridge. The win was just what Air Academy needed coming off of a 65-35 loss in their prior contest.
Air Academy had a senior duo take command as Noah Hellem scored 26 points along with three steals and Max Howery scored 14 points along with six steals and five assists. That makes it four consecutive games in which Hellem has scored at least a third of Air Academy's points. Tommy Tygart was another key contributor, scoring three points.
Lutheran pushed their record up to 13-2 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 79.3 points per game. As for Air Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-11 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lutheran have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Air Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lutheran suffered a grim 79-57 defeat to Air Academy in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Can Lutheran avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
