Nov. 16—Grace Christian’s women’s basketball team started the new season in nearly the same way it did the last.
The Lady Crusaders don’t have Sarah Strong anymore, as the nation’s top recruit of 2023-24 has gone on to be an immediate standout for UConn, but there is still plenty of talent at Grace. The team began its quest for a fourth straight NCISAA state championship with a 77-62 win over Greensboro Day Thursday night.
These teams opened up last season with a 16-point win for Grace, which went on to an undefeated 30-0 campaign. The Lady Crusaders have a new coach and many new players, but appear to be contenders again.
Grace led 50-42 at the end of the third quarter and then exploded for a 27-point final period to blow the game open.
Jordan Speller, a 5’6″ point guard who has previously played for NC GBB Academy and North Pitt High School before joining Grace this season, led everyone with 19 points. Freshman Adaora Mogbo added 16. Isa Roman, a senior who started for the Lady Crusaders last year, added 14, and sophomore Jamieson McIntyre, another newcomer who played for Bishop O’Connell of Arlington, Va. last winter, tallied 12. The only other player to score for Grace was sophomore Dazaria Smith, another returnee from last year’s squad.
The Lady Crusaders outscored Greensboro Day in every quarter, but had only a narrow lead most of the time, up by two after one quarter and by 36-30 at the half.
Speller added 11 assists and four steals to her totals, while Mogbo led the team with 11 rebounds. Smith grabbed six rebounds. Senior Toni Hughes, who has been a member of all three Grace championship teams, began her quest for a fourth with four rebounds off the bench.
The Lady Crusaders will travel to Legion Collegiate Academy for a Saturday afternoon contest.
