Grace Christian of Sanford finishes perfect season with NCISAA 3A girls basketball championship
Three years, three classifications, three titles.
Grace Christian of Sanford polished off a unique three-peat in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association on Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy.
The Crusaders won the 3A title by blowing by High Point Christian, 82-33.
Last year, Grace won the 2A title. The year before, they won the 1A title.
Making this one all the more sweet was its significance as the last high school basketball game in Sarah Strong's storied career.
Strong, rated the No. 1 girls basketball recruit in the country, had a game-high 30 points and goes out with three titles in her three years at Grace.
The No. 1-ranked team in the HighSchoolOT top 25 — and it has been No. 1 since the preseason — was more than just Strong, however. Icyss Storm and Halisi Whitley had 16 points each, and the entire team provided suffocating defense en route to a 52-17 lead at halftime.
Grace (30-0) gave up an average of 38.3 points per game in its three playoff contests.
High Point Christian (22-5) was led by Kylie Torrence's 16 points. The 3-seed in the 3A bracket had previously knocked off conference foe Greensboro Day, the 2-seed, in the semifinals.
Scoring Summary
Grace Christian of Sanford: Serenity McNair 3, Isa Roman 9, Reagan Lindholm 2, Halisi Whitley 16, Icyss Storm 16, Toni Hughes 7
High Point Christian: Courtney Taylor 4, Angel Walker 2, Kylie Torrence 16, Ale'na Lewis 7, Maci Burkhart 2
