Basketball Recap: Kent-Meridian Wins Going Away Against Jefferson

Kent-Meridian's game back in December of 2024 was a loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Friday. They greeted the New Year with with a 71-54 win over the Jefferson Raiders. That looming 71-54 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Royals yet this season.

Several Raiders players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Adam Thomas, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds. Thomas continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Khamari Johnson, who posted 18 points and five steals.

Kent-Meridian's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-5. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.0 points per game. As for Jefferson, they are on a 19-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-10.

Kent-Meridian and Jefferson could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Washington Rankings. Kent-Meridian (ranked 281st) will meet Beamer (ranked 69th) at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Jefferson (ranked 357th) will meet Federal Way (ranked 48th) at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.