Grace Christian Crusaders are Back to Back State Champions
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Last year, we saw Grace Christian win the NCISAA 1A state championship. This year, they took on some new challenges in 2A. In the state championship game held on Saturday, the Crusaders took on the Chargers from Wayne Country Day. …
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Continue ReadingLast year, we saw Grace Christian win the NCISAA 1A state championship. This year, they took on some new challenges in 2A. In the state championship game held on Saturday, the Crusaders took on the Chargers from Wayne Country Day. The Crusaders took the lead early on and never looked back finishing the game state champions with the win 86-63.
The Grace Christian roster is loaded with future college players. Let’s take a look at the standouts.
Icyss Storm was the leading scorer of the game. She is so effective in the paint moving with the ball to battle for some points. She battled for rebounds using offensive boards for second chances. She hustled up the court on offense being ready for the rebound and to put it right back up if needed. She showed how she’s expanded her game knocking it down from deep, and she had a nice midrange game, too. She executes the pick and roll play well getting open for the shot.
Highlights
Sarah Strong scored the first points of the game to no one’s surprise knocking it down from deep. She slid around post players grabbing the steal, and she found her teammates up the court in an open space for a shot in transition. She showed off her post moves in the paint starting with her back to the basket and ending with some points. She had some three point plays the old fashioned way. There are many intangible things that Strong does well getting the ball to the right person to run a play, directing her teammates where to go in the gaps, and seeing the floor to know how to move with the ball to get open herself.
Halisi Whitley knocked it down from deep with ease taking advantage of her defender giving her too much space. It seemed like a highlight reel on repeat as she proceeded to knock down five three pointers in the game. If she wasn’t knocking down her shot, she was finding her open teammates in the paint for some points. She has some nice handles with the ball finding ways to get her defenders off balance to blow by them.
Reagan Lindholm
Reagan Lindholm
Reagan Lindholm knocked down her shot from deep beginning the game making sure her opponents knew she was a shooter. When she wasn’t shooting, she was finding her teammates open underneath the basket. She did a nice job hustling on offense to get some fast break points.
The Crusaders also had some pesky defenders with Miyah Campbell Miyah Campbell 5'6" | CG Grace Christian | 2025 State NC and Danauje Brooks Danauje Brooks 5'4" | PG E.E. Smith | 2025 State NC . These guards were constantly getting their hands involved on defense stripping the ball from their opponents. They also added 12 points for their team with Campbell hitting her shots from deep, and Brooks was driving hard to the hoop showing a nice finish at the rim.
Wayne Country day also had 3 double digit scorers in the game.
The Chargers are led by their fearless senior Ja’Kea Brunson Ja’Kea Brunson 5’9″ | PG Wayne Country Day | 2023 NC . She did a nice job moving the ball finding her teammates open underneath the basket. She can knock it down from deep herself finishing with five shots beyond the arc. She drove hard to the basket finishing at the rim embracing contact. She was certainly showing her senior leadership focusing on the next play no matter what her opponents did finding ways to score from deep or attack the basket.
Jayla Hicks
Jayla Hicks
Jayla Hicks had a nice hustle back play blocking a shot in transition. She knocked her shot down from deep right when her team needed some life, and she finished with four from deep. She was consistently showing off her range, and she did a nice job pushing the ball up the court to help her team score some points.
Kyrah Davis had a nice shot from deep as well. She followed that up in the second half with a strong move on the block banking the shot in for two points. She got inside to grab rebounds for her team, and she pushed it up the court finding her teammates on a fast break.