Basketball Recap: Pipestem Christian Academy Comes Up Short in High-Profile Match with Grace Christian

Panthers

Team Score

12/21/24 @ Grace Christian	78
12/03/24 @ Ballard Christian	69
11/14/24 vs Mount Hope Christian Academy	68
12/13/24 vs New Life Christian Academy	67
12/20/24 vs Ohio Valley Christian	63

On Saturday, Pipestem Christian Academy faced Grace Christian in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Pipestem Christian Academy Panthers fell 85-78 to Grace Christian. One positive for the Panthers, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.

When it comes to explaining why Pipestem Christian Academy lost, don't look at Enoch Gonderman. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 39 points and 11 rebounds. Gonderman is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Silas Mattox, who went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc en route to 22 points and six rebounds.

Even though they lost, Pipestem Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Pipestem Christian Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Grace Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 4-3 record this season.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pipestem Christian Academy will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Teays Valley Christian at 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025. Grace Christian also won't see the court for a while: their next game is against Tolsia at 7:30 p.m. on January 3, 2025.