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.
Grace Christian's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ma'Kyi Butler, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds. Butler hasn't dropped below 15points for three straight games. Nate Jones was another key contributor, scoring 24 points along with five assists.
Even though they lost, Grace Christian were working as a unit and finished the game with 25 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Eastern Randolph's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nicah Taylor led the charge by scoring 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 victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-7.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Grace Christian won't have much time to rest: their next game is against North Raleigh Christian Academy at 8:00 p.m. on January 23rd. North Raleigh Christian Academy is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 60.6 points per game. Eastern Randolph won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Providence Grove at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd.
