Crusaders make big plays to take conference lead
By Dan Spears
StarNews Sports Editor
The matchup between Harrells Christian big man Quate McKinzie and Coastal Christian’s Brian Howell set the gym abuzz Tuesday night whenever the two went one-on-one.
But it was the Crusaders’ supporting cast who made the biggest of plays in this key early Coastal Rivers Conference boys basketball game, giving Harrells a 54-50 victory on the road.
“We moved the ball a lot better in the third and fourth quarters,” Harrells coach Clayton Hall said. “Quate got those big buckets in the fourth quarter … but everyone settled down. Everyone played off each other.”
While Harrells (9-8, 3-0) led through almost all of the first three quarters, it was never more than seven points. Coastal (8-8, 2-1) then wrapped a 10-0 run around the third-quarter break and led 41-38 with 5:20 to play on Michael Parker’s eighth field goal of the night.
That’s when McKinzie -- and his teammates -- found their best effort.
The Crusaders scored on seven of their next eight possessions, including two dunks off steals by McKinzie, who has committed to play at Division I Buffalo next fall. The biggest bucket though, might have been the NBA-distance 3-pointer from CJ Kirchoff that made it a two-possession game with 2:40 to play.
McKinzie finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Marcus Scarborough and Corey Pruitt added 15 points each.
“The league’s competitive,” Hall said. “They beat a good Fayetteville Academy team. We won at Parrott by one. An early lead in the league is a big thing.”
Coastal got 18 points from Parker and 14 from Howell, but 21 turnovers neutralized an offense that was efficient in the final three quarters at 51 percent shooting, but could only get 35 shots in that time frame.
“I think we might have overthought this,” Coastal coach Craig Wheeler said. “When we let the guards play, we made the plays. I made some calls late for them that I’d like to have back.”
By Dan Spears
StarNews Sports Editor
The matchup between Harrells Christian big man Quate McKinzie and Coastal Christian’s Brian Howell set the gym abuzz Tuesday night whenever the two went one-on-one.
But it was the Crusaders’ supporting cast who made the biggest of plays in this key early Coastal Rivers Conference boys basketball game, giving Harrells a 54-50 victory on the road.
“We moved the ball a lot better in the third and fourth quarters,” Harrells coach Clayton Hall said. “Quate got those big buckets in the fourth quarter … but everyone settled down. Everyone played off each other.”
While Harrells (9-8, 3-0) led through almost all of the first three quarters, it was never more than seven points. Coastal (8-8, 2-1) then wrapped a 10-0 run around the third-quarter break and led 41-38 with 5:20 to play on Michael Parker’s eighth field goal of the night.
That’s when McKinzie -- and his teammates -- found their best effort.
The Crusaders scored on seven of their next eight possessions, including two dunks off steals by McKinzie, who has committed to play at Division I Buffalo next fall. The biggest bucket though, might have been the NBA-distance 3-pointer from CJ Kirchoff that made it a two-possession game with 2:40 to play.
McKinzie finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Marcus Scarborough and Corey Pruitt added 15 points each.
“The league’s competitive,” Hall said. “They beat a good Fayetteville Academy team. We won at Parrott by one. An early lead in the league is a big thing.”
Coastal got 18 points from Parker and 14 from Howell, but 21 turnovers neutralized an offense that was efficient in the final three quarters at 51 percent shooting, but could only get 35 shots in that time frame.
“I think we might have overthought this,” Coastal coach Craig Wheeler said. “When we let the guards play, we made the plays. I made some calls late for them that I’d like to have back.”
