After three games on the road, Concord Academy is heading back home. They will take on the Gaston Christian Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Concord Academy is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Gaston Christian in North Carolina (Concord Academy is ranked 40th, while Gaston Christian is ranked 360th).
In what's become a running theme this season, Concord Academy gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They blew past SouthLake Christian Academy, posting a 83-24 win on the road. Concord Academy's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Concord Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Justice Alexander led the charge by scoring 24 points along with eight rebounds. Alexander has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Aaliyah Mack, who scored 21 points along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Gaston Christian's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fourth straight loss. They fell 44-37 to Hickory Grove Christian.
Despite the loss, Gaston Christian saw an underclassman step up: Happy Arune dropped a double-double on 18 points and 16 rebounds. That was a full 48.6% of Gaston Christian's points, marking the tenth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Gianna Mingo was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Concord Academy is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-2 record this season. As for Gaston Christian, their loss was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 2-8.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's matchup: Concord Academy have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 7.2 threes per game. It's a different story for Gaston Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 threes per game. Given Concord Academy's sizeable advantage in that area, Gaston Christian will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Concord Academy against Gaston Christian in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 as the squad secured a 69-7 win. With Concord Academy ahead 44-4 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
