Basketball Recap: Jakeem Bradford's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Liberty Christian over Union Grove Christian

Liberty Christian lost against Union Grove Christian back in December of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. Liberty Christian took a 66-59 hit to the loss column at the hands of Union Grove Christian. While Liberty Christian didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating Union Grove Christian 19-7 in the first quarter.

Jakeem Bradford

Steals

02/11/25 @ Union Grove Christian	3
02/07/25 @ Alamance Christian	2
02/04/25 @ Faith Christian	5
02/03/25 vs Hilltop Christian	4
01/31/25 vs Durham Flight HomeSchool	5
+ 27 more games

Liberty Christian's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jakeem Bradford, who posted 12 points in addition to seven boards and five assists. Bradford has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 32 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Ian Sterrett, who earned 17 points.

Union Grove Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ethan Smith led the charge by going 8-for-15 en route to 19 points and five rebounds. The dominant performance gave Smith a new career-high in points. Colin Wykes was another key player, dropping a double-double with 12 points and ten assists.

Liberty Christian's loss dropped their record down to 13-6. As for Union Grove Christian, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 17 games, which provided a nice bump to their 31-6 record this season.

Liberty Christian has already played their next contest, a 57-41 win against Tabernacle Christian on the 14th. As for Union Grove Christian, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, an 84-60 victory against Faith Christian on the 14th.