Basketball Recap: Friday's Loss Ends Evangel Christian's Winning Streak

If Evangel Christian was feeling good fresh off their 65-35 takedown of Tuscaloosa Home Educators last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Evangel Christian Lightning fell just short of the Ezekiel Academy Knights by a score of 52-50 on Friday. The Lightning's defeat signaled the end of their six-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, Evangel Christian still got an impressive performance from Jonathan Gill, who posted 11 points along with five rebounds and three blocks. That's the most points Gill has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Paul Dixon, who had five points and five boards.

Even though they lost, Evangel Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive matches.

Leading Ezekiel Academy to victory were Kelson Free and Elijah Taylor. Free went 6 of 9 on his way to 18 points and seven rebounds, while Taylor scored 17 points in addition to four blocks and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Free has scored at least a third of Ezekiel Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gerard Johnson, who earned ten points and six boards.

Evangel Christian's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 13-4. As for Ezekiel Academy, the victory (which was their 13th in a row) raised their record to 21-3.

Coincidentally, both will both be playing Southern Christian the next time they take the court. Evangel Christian will head out to face Southern Christian at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, while Ezekiel Academy will host them at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.