Basketball Recap: Arlington Christian Comes Up Short

Arlington Christian suffered their closest defeat since February 9, 2024 on Saturday. They fell just short of the East Paulding Raiders by a score of 53-50. The matchup marked Arlington Christian's lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Despite the loss, Arlington Christian still got an impressive performance from Chezi Essel, who almost dropped a triple-double on 16 points, 18 boards, and nine steals. Essel is crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least three every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Legend Jenkins, who posted six points and three steals.

Even though they lost, Arlington Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Arlington Christian's loss dropped their record down to 11-2. As for East Paulding, they moved to 4-12 with that win, which also ended their four-game losing streak.

Arlington Christian will square off against Hills Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Hills Academy's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six matches. As for East Paulding, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 60-59 victory against Lithia Springs on the 7th.