The Pine Lake Prep Pride entered their tilt with the Christ the King Crusaders with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Pine Lake Prep came out on top against Christ the King by a score of 56-47 on Tuesday. Given Pine Lake Prep's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 122nd, while Christ the King is ranked 355th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Robert Magner was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds. Another player making a difference was Lucas Strickfaden, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds.
Despite the loss, Christ the King had strong showings from Parker Ryan, who scored 22 points along with five rebounds and two steals, and Marco Tampoya, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Ryan hasn't dropped below 15 points for five straight games.
Christ the King struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Pine Lake Prep pulled down 12 offensive rebounds.
Pine Lake Prep has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. As for Christ the King, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last seven contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season.
Pine Lake Prep on the road again on Friday and play against Bradford Prep at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. Bradford Prep knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six games -- so hopefully Pine Lake Prep likes a good challenge. As for Christ the King, their homestand continues as they prepare to take on Mountain Island Charter at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. Mountain Island Charter is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
