The Gaston Christian Eagles were the 85-66 winner over the Northside Christian Academy Knights when they last played one another back in November, but their luck changed this time around. Gaston Christian might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Northside Christian Academy an easy 60-39 victory. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Gaston Christian has scored all season.
When it comes to explaining why Gaston Christian lost on Saturday, one person who can't be blamed is Makoi Mabor Marier. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 15 points and 15 rebounds. The match was Mabor Marier's 15th in a row with at least ten points. Cameron Newman was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Kyrell Shaw continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Northside Christian Academy, scoring 20 points along with six rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which Shaw has scored at least 25% of Northside Christian Academy's points. Another player making a difference was Arael Jones, who scored 13 points.
Gaston Christian has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-8 record this season. As for Northside Christian Academy, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-6.
Gaston Christian will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against Mallard Creek at 4:30 p.m. on December 28th. Mallard Creek will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings (they are ranked 204th, while Gaston Christian is ranked 69th). Northside Christian Academy will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against Indian Land at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Indian Land knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past nine games -- so hopefully Northside Christian Academy likes a good challenge.
