The North East Grape Pickers scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They strolled past Erie First Christian Academy with points to spare, taking the game 76-61. Given North East's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 210th, while Erie First Christian Academy is ranked 529th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Erie First Christian Academy's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Avery Collins, who scored 28 points. That was a full 45.9% of Erie First Christian Academy's points, marking the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Simon Gonzalez, who scored 21 points.
The win (which was North East's fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Erie First Christian Academy, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-8.
North East will head out on the road to face off against Iroquois at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Iroquois focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Tuesday. As for Erie First Christian Academy, they will be playing at home against Mercyhurst Prep at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Mercyhurst Prep focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Wednesday.
