Varsity Men
The Varsity Men's Basketball team clinched the Cape Fear Rivers Conference Regular Season Title on Friday, January 30 with a 74-49 victory over Fayetteville Christian. In front of a huge crowd at the Foundation Center on the campus of Harrells Christian Academy the Crusaders continued their dominance in conference play on their way to their first regular season conference title in years.
The two teams scrummed back and fourth in the early stages of the game which led to a slight 21-15 lead for the Crusaders at the end of the first quarter. The Crusaders stepped up their play in the second quarter which led to a 24-11 run by the Crusaders. After a strong scoring performance in the second quarter the Crusaders headed into the half with a 45-26 lead over the Warriors. Quate Mckinzie led the Crusaders in scoring in the first half with 12 points.
Fayetteville Christian tried to edge back into the game in the third quarter but the Crusaders halted the Warriors' run and cruised into the fourth quarter with a 56-42 lead. HCA continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter and gained their largest lead of 28 points at the 3:28 mark in the fourth. The Crusaders went on to claim a 74-49 victory over the Warriors. The Crusaders balanced scoring attack featured 4 players scoring in double figures. Quate Mckinzie finished the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Mckinzie was quickly followed by Tyshii Scarborough who recorded 17 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. Marcus Scarborough added 15 points to the Crusader scoring attack along with CJ Kirchoff who contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds. With the Crusaders 25 point victory they were named outright regular season conference champions. The Crusaders improved to 14-3 (8-0) with their victory in front of a packed house for HCA's 7th annual Pink Out Game. The Crusaders will be back in action on Tuesday, February 3 as they travel to Coastal Christian. HCA blew by the Centurions in their last matchup.
Varsity Women
The Varsity Lady Crusaders sought out revenge on the Warriors in their rematch. Fayetteville Christian squeaked by the Lady Crusaders in their last matchup but HCA got the best of the Warriors in their 44-39 victory on Friday, January 30. The two teams battled on the defensive end in a low scoring first quarter. The Lady Crusaders found a 8-4 lead heading into the second. HCA jumped out to a quick start in the second quarter. They gained a 20-12 lead before a timeout by the Warriors with 1:51 left before the half. The Lady Warriors fought back and cut the HCA lead to 22-17 heading into the half. Margaret Clark led the Crusaders in scoring at the half with 14 points.
The two teams struggled in the third quarter which led to a slight 28-25 Crusaders lead heading into the final quarter of play. The Lady Crusaders found themselves leading 41-37 with 39 seconds to play after a pair of made free throws by Natalie Hardin. The Warriors then came down and forced a foul which resulted in two made free throws to cut the HCA lead to 41-39 with 34 seconds left to play. The Crusaders then missed the front end of a one and one but grabbed the rebound which led to two more free throws made by Natalie Hardin to extend the Crusader lead to 42-39 with 22.7 seconds left in the fourth. The Crusaders forced another turnover which led to two made free throws by Emily Benton to seal the 44-39 victory over the Warriors. Senior, Margaret Clark and sophomore, Emily Benton both finished the game with 16 points. Natalie Hardin also contributed 10 points to the Crusader scoring attack. With the Lady Crusaders win they improved to 14-2 (7-1) on the season and claim a share of the regular season conference title. The Lady Crusaders hit the road on Tuesday, February 3 to take on Coastal Christian. HCA cruised by the Centurions in their last meeting.
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