Basketball Recap: Mathias Ellis' Big Game Can't Quite Lead First Christian over Westwood Christian

First Christian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They came up short against the Westwood Christian Warriors, falling 83-59. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Lions this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 48-30 back in November of 2024.

First 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 Mathias Ellis, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. Ellis has been hot recently, having posted eight or more boards the last four times he's played. Morgan Earnhart was another key player, going 6 of 12 on his way to 16 points and six assists.

Leading Westwood Christian to victory were Tripp Kirkland and Jake Kirkland. Tripp dropped a double-double on 26 points and 20 rebounds, while Jake almost dropped a double-double on 27 points and nine boards. Those 27 points gave Jake a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Thomas, who posted 14 points and five rebounds.

First Christian's loss dropped their record down to 4-15. As for Westwood Christian, the win was the eighth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-3.

First Christian wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 65-44 defeat against Redeemer Christian on the 31st. As for Westwood Christian, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 60-47 loss against First Assembly Christian Academy on the 31st.