East Gaston suffered their closest defeat since November 22, 2024 on Friday. They fell just short of the Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy Gryphons by a score of 61-58. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 600th, while the Gryphons are ranked 266th).
Despite the loss, East Gaston still got an impressive performance from Sajuka Riley, who posted 28 points. Matthew Pierre was another key player, putting up 21 points.
East Gaston's loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 3-16. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.3 points per game. As for Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. East Gaston will venture away from home to challenge Bessemer City at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Bessemer City knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully East Gaston likes a good challenge. As for Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, they will head out to square off against Lake Lure Classical Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
