The McKeel Academy Wildcats had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 41.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They strolled past Lakeland Christian with points to spare, taking the game 53-36. McKeel Academy pushed the score to 41-21 by the end of the third, a deficit Lakeland Christian cut but never quite recovered from.
McKeel Academy was led to victory by Ava Anderson and Malayna Sheffield. Anderson dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Sheffield dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds. Sheffield is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last 13 games she's played. Nicaria McHellon was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with two steals.
Several Vikings players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Eleni Katzaras, who scored 15 points along with two steals. Katzaras is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kiya Boyce, who scored four points.
McKeel Academy has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 13-9 record this season. As for Lakeland Christian, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 11-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. McKeel Academy will take on Fort Meade at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Lakeland Christian won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Geneva Classical Academy at 6:00 p.m. on January 26th. Geneva Classical Academy is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
