Lady Crusaders challenged, but pass the test
Dec. 12—For the first time this season, Grace Christian was held to a single-digit margin of victory Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Crusaders, ranked No. 1 in all of North Carolina, represented the state in the She Got Game Classic, a showcase event in the Washington, D.C. area held over the weekend. In Grace's lone appearance in the showcase, the Lady Crusaders imrpoved to 9-0 on the season with a 56-48 win over Elizabeth Seton High School of Bladensburg, Md.
Seton (2-1) entered the 2023-24 season coming off a disappointing 10-13 campaign, but the Roadrunners were still the 17th-ranked team in the state of Maryland due to an incredibly tough schedule. They started this season with two blowouts, including a 70-48 rout of Virginia Academy, which won the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association 2A state title last season.
But the Roadrunners' bid to add the reigning North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association 2A champions to their hit list came up a bit short in the game held at The St. James, a sports club located in Springfield, Va.
The game was primarily a battle of the Grace frontcourt against the Seton backcourt. Most eyeballs on the game were trained on Sarah Strong, the nation's top recruit in the class of 2024, and she didn't disappoint with 17 points and 22 rebounds. However, college scouts needing post players also had reason to be very impressed with Icyss Storm, who matched Strong's 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds of her own.
Officials let the teams play and Grace had just eight fouls called on it, but also went to the free-throw line for just 14 chances, making nine. Junior guard Halisi Whitley was the only Lady Crusader to make a 3-pointer in the game, going 3-for-4 while the rest of the team was 0-for-11. However, despite the odd nature of the game, Grace still prevailed comfortably.
The game was one of the rare times this season when Grace will play second fiddle. Immediately after the Lady Crusader game at The St. James, nationally top-ranked IMG Academy played Bishop McNamara, another Maryland powerhouse. IMG also was caught in a grinding battle and also came out with the victory, 41-37.
Isa Roman had seven points and Serenity McNair two for Grace. McNair had five assists. Whitley and Strong each had four and Storm added three.
The Lady Crusaders will play again Dec. 15 at home against NCISAA 4A top-ranked Cannon (8-1). Based on current MaxPreps ratings, this is a showdown of the Nos. 1 and 3 teams in North Carolina. Cannon also competed in the She Got Game Classic and took its first loss Saturday, to Shining Star Sports Academy of Petersburg, Va.
