Southern Wake/Grace Christian Game Report/Standouts

<!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Southern Wake and Grace Christian (Sanford) wrapped up their nonconference schedule as the Lions played host on Friday night. Take a look at the game recap and standouts.</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While first shots weren't falling for the Lions, they used their ability to crash the offensive glass to build an early lead late in the first quarter. After 1 quarter, the Lions led 21-11 thanks to early offense from [player_tooltip player_id='1385670' first='Chris' last='Crudup'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2127097' first='Bryan' last='Epperson'] on the offensive glass. Sam Streeter and [player_tooltip player_id='2268821' first='Nate' last='Jones'] would get the offense going for the Crusaders in the second quarter but the Lions continued to keep their distance. Halfway through the second quarter, Southern Wake led 30-17. Both teams would trade baskets for the remainder of the quarter as it was 36-25 with a minute left in the half. Two more quick buckets from both squads before the buzzer sounded would make things 38-27 in favor of Southern Wake at the half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the second half, the physicality level rose as the deficit remained the same for the Lions. Both teams battled as the score was 43-31 with 5:29 left in the third quarter. Grace Christian would continue to chip away at the lead and they would bring it to within single digits, but free throws and a continued rim attack allowed Southern Wake to build the lead back to double digits. They led 49-39 with 2:45 left in the third. The Lions would end the quarter on another scoring run as [player_tooltip player_id='2123684' first='Se' last='Surmons'] and Crudup would knock down a barrage of 3-pointers to boost the lead to 57-42 after three quarters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1120968' first='Ma'Kyi' last='Butler'] would try to get the offense going to start the fourth but they still couldn't solve things on the defensive end. Southern Wake would continue to keep their distance on the scoreboard as Grace Christian battled through foul trouble. The Lions led 64-49 with 4:38 left after Caleb Ellis fouled out. Then a few minutes later, Sam Streeter would foul out and free throws would overtake the final quarter. [player_tooltip player_id='1797957' first='Kobe' last='Plata'] and Crudup would combine to shoot 34 of 47 total free throws in the game by the end of things. Grace Christian would finish the game with just four players given one of their players suffered an injury late in the third quarter. In the end, Southern Wake Academy took home an 83-64 victory once the dust settled.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1385670"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Crudup led all scorers in the game with 25 points and also had eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. He showed off his ability to crash the defensive glass and create offense out of the fast break and half court. He did well to keep constant pressure on opponents with his ability to attack the basket and finished 14-of-18 from the free throw line. He remains a strong unsigned senior guard in the class to note of.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1797957"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Plata continues to show his growth in the backcourt as he recorded 14 points, 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal. He's a young floor general who's starting to understand how to run the offense and control the pace with his own skill set. He's one to watch in the 2027 class.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2127097"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Epperson was a strong presence on the glass for Southern Wake, especially in the first half. He finished with eight points and eight rebounds in a good showing in the frontcourt. As he figures things out on the wing and in the painted area with his activity, he's one to keep eyes on the in the 2025 class.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["2130040"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Surmons knocked down some key 3-pointers in the first half before cooling off in the second. He shot 3-of-7 from deep and finished with 14 points and five rebounds off the bench, providing quite the spark. As he learns to facilitate and make plays for others off the bench, he's got a bright future ahead of him in the Southern Wake backcourt.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1120968"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Butler played well to pace the Grace Christian offense with 20 points and battled on the glass, but things got tough for them as his squad battled through foul trouble and rebounding issues. He did well to get to his spots in spurts and went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line but in the end, it wasn't enough to contend with the Lions.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["2268821"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Jones played well in spurts, battling against another top 2027 name in [player_tooltip player_id='1797957' first='Kobe' last='Plata']. He started the scoring for Grace Christian and finished with 16 points, scoring six points in the fourth quarter. He's got a quick shooting stroke he utilized at times. He's quick on the break and does well to get to the painted area. As he gets stronger and more aggressive in the half court, he's another 2027 name to keep an eye on in the state.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65aca5e086b1f"} /-->