Eagles hold on for road win
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
Northwood Temple went on the road, blew a 15-point halftime lead and battled back down the stretch to walk away with a 69-55 win over crosstown rival Trinity Christian.
But don’t think for a second the Eagles lost their composure during Thursday’s game at the John D. Fuller Recreation Center.
“As soon as we walked in the gym, somebody said, ‘Keep your cool. Play hard,’ ” guard Ciara Moore said. “We had that mindset the whole time.”
Moore finished the night with 25 points, trailing only her cousin, fellow sophomore Kendal Moore, who led all scorers with 31 points.
After a frustrating third quarter, Northwood (18-6) bounced back in the fourth, outscoring the Crusaders (154) 21-12 in the decisive frame.
In the final eight minutes, the Eagles made 10 of 13 free throws, with Kendal Moore going 7-for-7. Ciara Moore helped with three baskets from the floor to stave off a late push from Trinity.
The win is Northwood’s fifth straight in the series. The Eagles took both regular- season meetings last year and beat the Crusaders in the NCISAA 1-A state final before winning the teams’ Dec. 5 game.
Coach Donald Moore said the win could be key come playoff seeding time next month.
“Right now, we could be the No. 2 seed behind Neuse Christian because they beat us at our place,” the coach said.
Northwood and Neuse, league mates in the Carolina Christian Conference, will meet once more in the regular season and could face off in the conference tournament.
Trinity has also lost to Neuse this season and fell to Martinsville (Virginia) Carlisle.
The Crusaders struggled early Thursday night, scoring 20 points in the first half while the Eagles piled on the points with plenty of outside shooting.
Kendal Moore notched all four of her 3-point goals in the first half, and Alyssa Shelley and Ciara Moore each added one in the second quarter to lift the Eagles to a 35-20 lead at the half.
Donald Moore knew it wasn’t enough.
“I told the girls that I wasn’t satisfied with a 15point lead,” the coach said. “I knew they (Trinity) were going to come right at us.”
Trinity came charging out of the gate after the half, going to a fullcourt press that utilized the Crusaders’ physicality.
Nikki Cooke scored 10 points in the third quarter, and Destiny Gainey added nine.
The Eagles’ defense did well to limit Alex Scruggs, holding the highly recruited guard to 10 points, well below her 22-point average.
Cooke picked up the slack, finishing with a teamhigh 23 points, including five 3-pointers.
The Crusaders cut Northwood’s lead to 48-43 at the close of the third quarter. Forty-five seconds into the fourth, Jada Raynor’s layup, dished by Gainey off a rebound, tied the game at 48.
“We came together after halftime and had a plan to trap the ball, move more on defense, play team ball,” Trinity coach Charles Tubbs said. “We went into a fullcourt after the half, and probably by the end of the fourth quarter, we’d worn our legs out.” The Crusaders’ secondhalf scoring surge was marred by an abysmal performance at the foul line. Trinity made just five of 18 free throws in the third quarter and nine of 26 in the second half. They shot 47 percent on the night from the line.
Trinity couldn’t sustain the offensive burst. The Crusaders’ scoring lagged in the final quarter while the Eagles persisted at the line to pull away late.
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.
Northwood Temple 69, Trinity Christian 55
Northwood Temple 14 21 13 21—69
Trinity Christian 9 11 23 12—55
NORTHWOOD TEMPLE — Kendal Moore 31, Shelley 4, Ciara Moore 25, Wilson 8, Oxendine 1
TRINITY CHRISTIAN — Alex Scruggs 10, Nikki Cooke 23, D. Smith 3, Destiny Gainey 11, Stallworth 4, Raynor 2, Jones 2
• Fouled out: None
• 3-point goals: NT — K. Moore 4, Shelley, C. Moore, Wilson; TC — Cooke 5
• Records: Northwood Temple 18-6, Trinity Christian 15-4
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
Northwood Temple went on the road, blew a 15-point halftime lead and battled back down the stretch to walk away with a 69-55 win over crosstown rival Trinity Christian.
But don’t think for a second the Eagles lost their composure during Thursday’s game at the John D. Fuller Recreation Center.
“As soon as we walked in the gym, somebody said, ‘Keep your cool. Play hard,’ ” guard Ciara Moore said. “We had that mindset the whole time.”
Moore finished the night with 25 points, trailing only her cousin, fellow sophomore Kendal Moore, who led all scorers with 31 points.
After a frustrating third quarter, Northwood (18-6) bounced back in the fourth, outscoring the Crusaders (154) 21-12 in the decisive frame.
In the final eight minutes, the Eagles made 10 of 13 free throws, with Kendal Moore going 7-for-7. Ciara Moore helped with three baskets from the floor to stave off a late push from Trinity.
The win is Northwood’s fifth straight in the series. The Eagles took both regular- season meetings last year and beat the Crusaders in the NCISAA 1-A state final before winning the teams’ Dec. 5 game.
Coach Donald Moore said the win could be key come playoff seeding time next month.
“Right now, we could be the No. 2 seed behind Neuse Christian because they beat us at our place,” the coach said.
Northwood and Neuse, league mates in the Carolina Christian Conference, will meet once more in the regular season and could face off in the conference tournament.
Trinity has also lost to Neuse this season and fell to Martinsville (Virginia) Carlisle.
The Crusaders struggled early Thursday night, scoring 20 points in the first half while the Eagles piled on the points with plenty of outside shooting.
Kendal Moore notched all four of her 3-point goals in the first half, and Alyssa Shelley and Ciara Moore each added one in the second quarter to lift the Eagles to a 35-20 lead at the half.
Donald Moore knew it wasn’t enough.
“I told the girls that I wasn’t satisfied with a 15point lead,” the coach said. “I knew they (Trinity) were going to come right at us.”
Trinity came charging out of the gate after the half, going to a fullcourt press that utilized the Crusaders’ physicality.
Nikki Cooke scored 10 points in the third quarter, and Destiny Gainey added nine.
The Eagles’ defense did well to limit Alex Scruggs, holding the highly recruited guard to 10 points, well below her 22-point average.
Cooke picked up the slack, finishing with a teamhigh 23 points, including five 3-pointers.
The Crusaders cut Northwood’s lead to 48-43 at the close of the third quarter. Forty-five seconds into the fourth, Jada Raynor’s layup, dished by Gainey off a rebound, tied the game at 48.
“We came together after halftime and had a plan to trap the ball, move more on defense, play team ball,” Trinity coach Charles Tubbs said. “We went into a fullcourt after the half, and probably by the end of the fourth quarter, we’d worn our legs out.” The Crusaders’ secondhalf scoring surge was marred by an abysmal performance at the foul line. Trinity made just five of 18 free throws in the third quarter and nine of 26 in the second half. They shot 47 percent on the night from the line.
Trinity couldn’t sustain the offensive burst. The Crusaders’ scoring lagged in the final quarter while the Eagles persisted at the line to pull away late.
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.
Northwood Temple 69, Trinity Christian 55
Northwood Temple 14 21 13 21—69
Trinity Christian 9 11 23 12—55
NORTHWOOD TEMPLE — Kendal Moore 31, Shelley 4, Ciara Moore 25, Wilson 8, Oxendine 1
TRINITY CHRISTIAN — Alex Scruggs 10, Nikki Cooke 23, D. Smith 3, Destiny Gainey 11, Stallworth 4, Raynor 2, Jones 2
• Fouled out: None
• 3-point goals: NT — K. Moore 4, Shelley, C. Moore, Wilson; TC — Cooke 5
• Records: Northwood Temple 18-6, Trinity Christian 15-4
