A win for Cramerton Christian Academy just wasn't in the cards on Thursday as the squad wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They were beaten by the Hilltop Christian Chargers 70-43. While losing is never fun, the Crusaders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 198th, while the Chargers are ranked 39th).
Despite the defeat, Cramerton Christian Academy saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Carter Hewitt almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds. Hewitt has been hot , having posted eight or more rebounds the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Johnson, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Cramerton Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
It was another big night for Caleb Manriquez, who went 12 for 18 en route to 29 points plus six rebounds and five steals for Hilltop Christian. What's more, Manriquez also racked up four offensive rebounds, the most he's had since back in January. Carter Snow was another key player, earning ten points along with six assists.
Cramerton Christian Academy's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Hilltop Christian, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.
Cramerton Christian Academy has already played their next match, a 44-36 victory against Gateway Christian on the 6th. Hilltop Christian has also already played their next contest (against Cramerton Christian Academy), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
