Wesleyan Christian Academy comes up short despite Taylor Hawley's dominant performance

By Team Reports Jan 18, 2024, 7:01pm

Recap: Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans vs. Grace Christian Crusaders

If the Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans were feeling good off their 73-13 takedown of the Calvary Day School Cougars last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Wesleyan Christian Academy had to suffer through a rough 80-39 loss at the hands of Grace Christian. While losing is never fun, Wesleyan Christian Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 53rd, while Grace Christian is ranked first).

When it comes to explaining why Wesleyan Christian Academy lost on Tuesday, one person who can't be blamed is Taylor Hawley. Despite the final result, she scored 16 points along with six rebounds. Hawley has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last three times she's played. Blythe Cunningham was another key contributor, scoring six points.

Grace Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sarah Strong led the charge by scoring 17 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. Strong has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Isabella "Isa" Roman, who scored 15 points along with five assists and five rebounds.

Wesleyan Christian Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 15-8. As for Grace Christian, the victory for they keeps them at an undefeated 19-0.

Wesleyan Christian Academy won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Caldwell Academy at 4:00 p.m. on January 17th. Caldwell Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Grace Christian, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Bishop McGuinness at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Bishop McGuinness is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune.