Recap: Gilbert Christian Knights vs. Northwest Christian Crusaders
After flying high against the Red Rock Scorpions last Tuesday, the Gilbert Christian Knights came back down to earth. Gilbert Christian took a 56-42 bruising from Northwest Christian on Thursday. Gilbert Christian was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Northwest Christian apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in December of 2022.
Despite the defeat, Gilbert Christian saw an underclassman step up: Unesu Machiri scored 15 points along with two steals. Machiri 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 Kaila Aston, who scored six points along with 12 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Gilbert Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northwest Christian only pulled down four offensive rebounds.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Northwest Christian to victory, but perhaps none more so than Katelyn Best, who scored 12 points along with seven blocks and six assists. Best has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Kylie Seifried, who scored 14 points along with two steals.
Gilbert Christian's loss dropped their record down to 8-7. As for Northwest Christian, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-5.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Gilbert Christian the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Valley Christian at 5:30 p.m. on January 13th. Valley Christian is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 55.3 points per game. As for Northwest Christian, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Chino Valley at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Chino Valley will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings (they are ranked 237th, while Northwest Christian is ranked 78th).
