Cape Fear Academy boys advance to state semifinals
By Noah Thomas StarNews Correspondent
Posted Feb 16, 2019 at 4:55 PM Updated Feb 16, 2019 at 4:55 PM
Hurricanes rout Fayetteville Christian in quarterfinals
In a rematch from the first weeks of the regular season, Cape Fear Academy defeated Fayetteville Christian 62-41 Saturday in the NCISAA 3A state quarterfinals.
After a rocky first half, Cape Fear Academy (26-6) built upon a four-point halftime lead by settling down on defense and eliminating what coach Tony Martin referred to as “self-inflicted wounds.”
“We had a connected defense in the second half,” he said. “We cut down on our turnovers from the first half and really played well… Our forwards and our size made a difference in the second half.”
The Hurricanes were led by Ivan Misic, who finished with 17 points – 13 of which came in the second half. It was midway through the third quarter when CFA assistant coach Brannon Lancaster shouted to Misic from the sideline that it would be a “good time” for the junior to take over.
Take over he did. Misic scored 13-straight points for the Hurricanes, who are headed to the state semifinals after falling in the third round a year ago.
“It was a lot of just taking the opportunity when it was there,” said Misic. “I saw that we had to pull away and that our season couldn’t end today. It was find the opportunity, find the seams and get to the bucket – whatever it took.”
CFA got off to a slow start as turnovers and a reluctance to attack the basket stifled the Hurricanes’ offense. For the first eight minutes, CFA was its own worst enemy.
But as the first quarter transitioned to the second, mistakes that kept the Hurricanes down early quickly faded away. Emmanuel Bonsu opened the second period with a three-pointer from the wing and followed it with a transition layup on the next possession to put CFA right back in the mix.
Matt Kiatipis’ basket gave the Hurricanes their first lead a few minutes later and, just before the halftime buzzer, Jack McErlean hit a three to give CFA a 27-23 lead going into the break.
“The thing about this team is that we never panic,” said Martin. “We’ve actually been down 20, I think, and came back and won by double digits, so this team does have some composure.”
The Hurricanes now have six days to prepare for top-seeded Carmel Christian, who they will face at St. David’s School on Friday night.
“We’ve got a lot of time to watch film and we’ll try to break it down as much as any college team, so we will be well prepared,” Martin said.
By Noah Thomas StarNews Correspondent
Posted Feb 16, 2019 at 4:55 PM Updated Feb 16, 2019 at 4:55 PM
Hurricanes rout Fayetteville Christian in quarterfinals
In a rematch from the first weeks of the regular season, Cape Fear Academy defeated Fayetteville Christian 62-41 Saturday in the NCISAA 3A state quarterfinals.
After a rocky first half, Cape Fear Academy (26-6) built upon a four-point halftime lead by settling down on defense and eliminating what coach Tony Martin referred to as “self-inflicted wounds.”
“We had a connected defense in the second half,” he said. “We cut down on our turnovers from the first half and really played well… Our forwards and our size made a difference in the second half.”
The Hurricanes were led by Ivan Misic, who finished with 17 points – 13 of which came in the second half. It was midway through the third quarter when CFA assistant coach Brannon Lancaster shouted to Misic from the sideline that it would be a “good time” for the junior to take over.
Take over he did. Misic scored 13-straight points for the Hurricanes, who are headed to the state semifinals after falling in the third round a year ago.
“It was a lot of just taking the opportunity when it was there,” said Misic. “I saw that we had to pull away and that our season couldn’t end today. It was find the opportunity, find the seams and get to the bucket – whatever it took.”
CFA got off to a slow start as turnovers and a reluctance to attack the basket stifled the Hurricanes’ offense. For the first eight minutes, CFA was its own worst enemy.
But as the first quarter transitioned to the second, mistakes that kept the Hurricanes down early quickly faded away. Emmanuel Bonsu opened the second period with a three-pointer from the wing and followed it with a transition layup on the next possession to put CFA right back in the mix.
Matt Kiatipis’ basket gave the Hurricanes their first lead a few minutes later and, just before the halftime buzzer, Jack McErlean hit a three to give CFA a 27-23 lead going into the break.
“The thing about this team is that we never panic,” said Martin. “We’ve actually been down 20, I think, and came back and won by double digits, so this team does have some composure.”
The Hurricanes now have six days to prepare for top-seeded Carmel Christian, who they will face at St. David’s School on Friday night.
“We’ve got a lot of time to watch film and we’ll try to break it down as much as any college team, so we will be well prepared,” Martin said.
