The Northside Christian Academy Knights were the 74-49 winner over the Gaston Day Spartans when they last played one another back in December of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. Northside Christian Academy fell to Gaston Day 58-53. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Northside Christian Academy came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 28th, while Gaston Day is ranked 103rd).
When it comes to explaining why Northside Christian Academy lost on Tuesday, one person who can't be blamed is Kyrell Shaw. Despite the final result, he scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. Shaw has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Arael Jones, who scored nine points along with six rebounds.
Gaston Day found their leader in underclassman Griffen Simpson, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Simpson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Braylen Todd was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
This is the second loss in a row for Northside Christian Academy and nudges their season record down to 18-9. As for Gaston Day, they pushed their record up to 13-8 with that victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
Northside Christian Academy will take on Metrolina Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Gaston Day, they will head out on the road to take on Hickory Grove Christian at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Hickory Grove Christian has now lost eight straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 12.
