The Northside Christian Academy Crusaders pushed their score all the way to 67 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Grace Christian on the road by a decisive 84-67 margin. Northside Christian Academy has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Northside Christian Academy's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Hilton Dessausure, who scored 19 points. Cade McNeil was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 14 rebounds.
Grace Christian got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ma'Kyi Butler out in front who scored 23 points along with seven rebounds. The game was Butler's 13th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jimmy Zimmerman, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Northside Christian Academy has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-4 record this season. As for Grace Christian, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
Northside Christian Academy is on the road again on Friday and play against Hickory Grove Christian at 2:00 p.m. on December 22nd. Hickory Grove Christian will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in their respective state's rankings (they are ranked 411th in North Carolina, while Northside Christian Academy is ranked 118th in South Carolina). Grace Christian won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against St. David's at 6:00 p.m. on December 22nd. Hopefully St. David's focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 25 on Thursday.
