The Grace Christian Crusaders's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of Eastern Randolph by a score of 83-80. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their last game last Friday (63), Grace Christian still had to take the loss.
Several Crusaders players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Nate Jones, who scored 24 points. Jones hasn't dropped below 15points for five straight games. Ma'Kyi Butler was another key contributor, scoring 21 points.
Eastern Randolph's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nicah Taylor, who scored 23 points along with six assists and two steals. Taylor is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Timothy Brower, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Grace Christian's defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-11. As for Eastern Randolph, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-7.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Grace Christian won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against North Raleigh Christian Academy at 8:00 p.m. on January 23rd. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in North Carolina (North Raleigh Christian Academy is ranked 205th, while Grace Christian is ranked 203rd). Eastern Randolph won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Providence Grove at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd.
