It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Union Grove Christian can now relate to. They fell just short of the Hilltop Christian Chargers by a score of 54-52 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Patriots have suffered since January 26, 2024.
Several Patriots players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Colin Wykes, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and ten assists. Wykes continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Calvin Miller, who went 6-for-15 to rack up 17 points and three steals.
Hilltop Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Caleb Manriquez led the charge by dropping a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. Manriquez's big performance that evening made it ten games in a row in which he has scored at least 17 points. Another player making a difference was Philip Joyner, who posted 12 points.
Patriots
| 02/27/25 @ Hilltop Christian | 52-54 |
| 02/14/25 vs Faith Christian | 84-60 |
| 02/11/25 vs Liberty Christian | 66-59 |
| 02/08/25 vs Triad Baptist Christian Academy | 58-57 |
| 02/07/25 @ Gospel Light Christian | 63-53 |
Union Grove Christian moved to 32-7 with that defeat, which also ended their six-game winning streak. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.5 points over those games. As for Hilltop Christian, they pushed their record up to 23-4 with the victory, which was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season.
Union Grove Christian does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Hilltop Christian, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 43-25 win against Greenville Christian Academy on the 28th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
