Basketball Recap: GRACE Christian Takes Down John Paul II Catholic in a Playoff Battle

Eagles

Previous 6 Games

02/11/25 vs John Paul II Catholic	51-38
02/07/25 vs Trinity Academy	53-49
02/06/25 vs St. David's	70-38
02/03/25 @ Cary Christian	54-42
01/31/25 vs Wake Christian Academy	67-31
01/30/25 vs St. David's	77-45

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but GRACE Christian had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They walked away with a 51-38 win over the John Paul II Catholic Saints. The victory was nothing new for the Eagles as they're now sitting on six straight.

Leading GRACE Christian to victory were Eli Nelson and Malachi Tate. Nelson posted 12 points, while Tate went 5-for-8 en route to 10 points and seven boards. Nelson is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last three games he's played. Owen Sefried also deserves some recognition as he posted his first blocks of the season.

GRACE Christian was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They racked up six more assists than John Paul II Catholic's also-impressive total of ten.

Despite the loss, John Paul II Catholic still got an impressive performance from Jamal Biggs, who put up 21 points and six rebounds. Phoenix Balot was another key player, putting up five points.

GRACE Christian's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-17. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.6 points over those games. As for John Paul II Catholic, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-9.

GRACE Christian didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 73-60 victory against Calvary Day School on the 13th. John Paul II Catholic does not have any more games scheduled as of now.