The Wilmington Wildcats's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. They lost to Grace Christian Academy on the road by a decisive 42-28 margin. Wilmington was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Grace Christian Academy apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in November.
Wilmington's loss came despite strong showings from Sami Liaromatis and Cole Drown. Liaromatis scored five points along with ten rebounds, while Drown scored eight points along with five rebounds and three steals. That's the first time this season that Liaromatis pulled down eight or more rebounds. Lexi Liaromatis was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with four steals.
Even though they lost, Wilmington were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Grace Christian Academy only pulled down two offensive rebounds.
Natalie Dalton continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for Grace Christian Academy, scoring 29 points along with five rebounds and four steals. That makes it ten consecutive games in which Dalton has scored at least 25% of Grace Christian Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Angelina Larsen, who scored nine points.
Wilmington has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-6 record this season. As for Grace Christian Academy, their win bumped their record up to 2-8.
Wilmington will take on Hoopeston at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Hoopeston is hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses. As for Grace Christian Academy, they will head out on the road to face off against Iroquois West at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Iroquois West presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Grace Christian Academy in Illinois (Iroquois West is ranked 293rd, while Grace Christian Academy is ranked 615th).