If the Merit Preparatory Academy Knights were feeling good off their 73-53 takedown of the Utah Military Academy - Hill Field Thunderbirds last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Merit Preparatory Academy took a serious blow against Rockwell on Wednesday, falling 71-34. Merit Preparatory Academy was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-15.
Merit Preparatory Academy's loss came despite strong showings from Cruz Steinman and Allan Mendonca. Steinman dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Mendonca dropped a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds. It was the first time this season that Steinman pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Michigan Draper, who scored five points.
Luke Henderson continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Rockwell, dropping a double-double on 30 points and ten rebounds. Henderson is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last 13 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Kaysen Rife, who scored 17 points along with three steals.
Merit Preparatory Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 7-14. As for Rockwell, they are on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 16 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.
Merit Preparatory Academy will head out on the road to take on Freedom Prep Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Freedom Prep Academy is coming into the game with eight straight losses at home, meaning Merit Preparatory Academy will have to defend against a team hungry for a win. Rockwell does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
