The Hickory Grove Christian Lions's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their eighth straight loss. They were beaten by Concord Academy 83-39. Hickory Grove Christian was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 49-16.
Despite the defeat, Hickory Grove Christian saw an underclassman step up: Brent Banks scored 29 points along with eight rebounds. That was a full 74.4% of Hickory Grove Christian's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Hickory Grove Christian struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Concord Academy racked up 24 assists.
Alek Kornacki was the offensive standout of the contest as he scored 16 points along with six assists and four blocks. Sean Birmingham was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with five assists.
Hickory Grove Christian has not been sharp recently, as they've lost 11 of their last 12 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-14 record this season. As for Concord Academy, their victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-13.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hickory Grove Christian's road trip will continue as they head out to face Gaston Christian at 7:00 p.m. on January 16th. Hopefully Gaston Christian focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 on Friday. As for Concord Academy, they will head out on the road to challenge Westminster Catawba Christian at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in their respective states (Westminster Catawba Christian is ranked 79th in South Carolina, while Concord Academy is ranked 102nd in North Carolina).
