Cyclones fall to Kerr-Vance in CIC title tilt
HENDERSON — Despite a mammoth 50-point showing from junior Jimmy Forte, the Community Christian School varsity boys basketball team came up short in the battle to decide the outright 1-A/2-A Coastal Independent Conference regular-season champion Friday night at Kerr-Vance Academy.
Forte was matched stride for stride with KVA’s Colby Wilkerson, who poured in 46 points as the Spartans pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 83-73 victory.
CCS, which finished the regular season 14-10 overall and 8-2 in the CIC, will take the No. 2 seed into next week’s CIC tournament behind Kerr-Vance.
Forte finished with a double-double, getting 10 rebounds five assists and a pair of blocks. But in the fourth quarter, Wilkerson, who has committed to UNC for baseball, took hold for Kerr-Vance (11-10, 9-1 CIC) via dribble penetration and back-door cuts to the basket. He hit six 3-pointers and converted 15 of 22 from the foul line.
Junior Christian McFarland had 12 points for CCS, with junior Michael Piccolo falling one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds.
The Cyclones do expect to get a significant reinforcement back in time for next week’s tournament, with the return of freshman Eric Wynn to the lineup.
“They’re ready for the tournament,” CCS head coach Kenneth Atkinson said of his players. “They said they’re going to win the tournament.”
CCS (73)
Forte 50, McFarland 12, Piccolo 9, Manning 2, Eger, Moran, Fate.
KERR-VANCE (83)
Murphy 12, Cheever 3, Borbua 13, Howell 7, Wilkerson 46, Johnson 2.
Score by quarters:
CCS 14 17 18 24 — 73
Kerr-Vance 18 19 18 28 — 83
HENDERSON — Despite a mammoth 50-point showing from junior Jimmy Forte, the Community Christian School varsity boys basketball team came up short in the battle to decide the outright 1-A/2-A Coastal Independent Conference regular-season champion Friday night at Kerr-Vance Academy.
Forte was matched stride for stride with KVA’s Colby Wilkerson, who poured in 46 points as the Spartans pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 83-73 victory.
CCS, which finished the regular season 14-10 overall and 8-2 in the CIC, will take the No. 2 seed into next week’s CIC tournament behind Kerr-Vance.
Forte finished with a double-double, getting 10 rebounds five assists and a pair of blocks. But in the fourth quarter, Wilkerson, who has committed to UNC for baseball, took hold for Kerr-Vance (11-10, 9-1 CIC) via dribble penetration and back-door cuts to the basket. He hit six 3-pointers and converted 15 of 22 from the foul line.
Junior Christian McFarland had 12 points for CCS, with junior Michael Piccolo falling one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds.
The Cyclones do expect to get a significant reinforcement back in time for next week’s tournament, with the return of freshman Eric Wynn to the lineup.
“They’re ready for the tournament,” CCS head coach Kenneth Atkinson said of his players. “They said they’re going to win the tournament.”
CCS (73)
Forte 50, McFarland 12, Piccolo 9, Manning 2, Eger, Moran, Fate.
KERR-VANCE (83)
Murphy 12, Cheever 3, Borbua 13, Howell 7, Wilkerson 46, Johnson 2.
Score by quarters:
CCS 14 17 18 24 — 73
Kerr-Vance 18 19 18 28 — 83
