The Grace Christian Academy men’s basketball team got beat at home on Thursday, Jan. 19, by Highland Christian Academy 57-48.

Grace started out slow in the first half, allowing Highlands to outscore them in both quarters. The first quarter saw Grace score 9 points while Highlands put up 16. Grace slipped a little in the second, scoring eight and allowing Highlands to score 18 to go into halftime with a 34-17 lead.

The third quarter was a continuation of the first two. Grace managed 8 points while Highlands put up 15. With Grace down 49-25 going into the fourth, something had to happen. Grace exploded for 23 points in and only allowed 8 points. The offensive and defensive momentum of the fourth quarter was to late though. Grace closed the gap but was unable to pull ahead, losing 57-48.

Sam McRae put up another one-man show for the Cougars, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The next closest scorer only had 9 points.

“I think the boys played extremely well the second half. I felt like the first half there were a couple of two-minute runs where we made poor decisions,” said Head Coach Mallory McRae. “We tried to do things we’re not capable of doing. The second half we came out and played our game and did much better. The guys gave good effort all night. I have to give Highland credit. They are an extremely talented team”

Grace’s next game is Friday, Jan. 27, at home against Georgia Christian. The game tips-off at 8:00 p.m.