The Illinois Lutheran Chargers's nine-game losing streak came to an end on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Grace Christian Academy and snuck past 48-46. Illinois Lutheran's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Despite the loss, Grace Christian Academy still got an impressive performance from Natalie Dalton, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 14 rebounds. Dalton hasn't dropped below two steals for 12 straight games. Claire Mailloux was another key contributor, scoring six points.
Even though they lost, Grace Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. This was only their 11th loss (out of 17 games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Illinois Lutheran's victory ended a seven-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-12. As for Grace Christian Academy, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-15.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Illinois Lutheran will square off against Tri-Point at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Tri-Point is on a four-game streak of home losses, Illinois Lutheran a seven-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck is about to change. As for Grace Christian Academy, Grace Christian Academy and Clifton Central will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 25th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday.
