The North Raleigh Christian Academy Knights's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They fell to Grace Christian 74-69. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Despite the defeat, North Raleigh Christian Academy saw an underclassman step up: Brennen Jefferson scored 28 points along with seven rebounds. Another player making a difference was Cody Dickerson, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Grace Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ma'Kyi Butler led the charge by scoring 24 points. Butler has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. Jimmy Zimmerman was another key contributor, scoring 19 points.
North Raleigh Christian Academy's loss dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Grace Christian, they now have a winning record of 12-11.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. North Raleigh Christian Academy will take on Cary Academy at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cary Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past four matchups -- so hopefully North Raleigh Christian Academy likes a good challenge. As for Grace Christian, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Riverside Christian Academy at 7:30 p.m. Riverside Christian Academy 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 550th, while Grace Christian is ranked 211th).
