While the North Cross Raiders couldn't quite beat the Roanoke Catholic Celtics on Monday, the three-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 24-point defeat they were dealt last Saturday. North Cross fell just short of the Celtics by a score of 72-69. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Saturday (57), North Cross still had to take the loss.
North Cross' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jesiah Hines, who scored 25 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Hines hasn't dropped below three steals for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Antonio Mack, who scored 24 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, North Cross smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Roanoke Catholic only pulled down five offensive rebounds.
Roanoke Catholic's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jayden Johnson, who scored 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Demarcus Brown, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds.
North Cross has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-10 record this season. As for Roanoke Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 5-14.
North Cross won't have much time to rest: their next game is against the Barons at 6:00 p.m. on January 30th. Averaging 74.16 points so far this season, Blue Ridge's high-powered offense has been in full-swing lately, so the Raiders better be ready for a challenge. As for Roanoke Catholic, they will head out on the road to face off against the Flames at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Eastern Mennonite is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 65.8 points per game this season.
