The Belton Pirates can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They walked away with a 64-54 win over Kansas City East Christian Academy. The victory was all the more spectacular given Belton's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 369th, while Kansas City East Christian Academy is ranked 77th).
It was another big night for Kordell Williams, who scored 23 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Cooper Shrum, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds.
Kansas City East Christian Academy's loss came despite strong showings from Jared Devine and Kevin Johnson. Devine dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Johnson dropped a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds. Johnson has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kai Lewis, who scored eight points.
Even though they lost, Kansas City East Christian Academy were working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Belton only racked up eight assists.
Belton's victory bumped their record up to 3-13. As for Kansas City East Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-7.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Belton will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Blue Valley Northwest at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd. Kansas City East Christian Academy will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Applewood Christian at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
