There's no place like home for the Denbigh Baptist Christian Minutemen, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road two weeks ago. They rang in the new year with a 27-16 win over Gateway Christian on Friday. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Denbigh Baptist Christian also won the last time the pair played back in January of 2023.
Leading Denbigh Baptist Christian to victory were Payten Gary and Rylee Stewart. Gary scored 13 points along with three steals, while Stewart scored seven points along with eight rebounds and seven steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Gary has scored at least 25% of Denbigh Baptist Christian's points. Tori Carr was another key contributor, scoring five points along with four steals.
Despite the defeat, Gateway Christian saw an underclassman step up: Evalyn Snider scored seven points.
Denbigh Baptist Christian now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Gateway Christian, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season.
Denbigh Baptist Christian will face off against Broadwater Academy at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Hopefully Broadwater Academy focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 13 on Friday. As for Gateway Christian, they will be playing at home against Isle of Wight Academy at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (Isle of Wight Academy: 26.8, Gateway Christian: 29.9) so any points scored will be well earned.
