Best games: Private school thrillers featuring Fayetteville Christian, Trinity Christian and Village Christian
By Rodd Baxley
Staff writer
Posted Mar 25, 2020 at 12:39 PM
In the 910Preps Rewind series, staff writer Rodd Baxley looks back at the highlights of this past season in high school basketball
As I continue to relive the 2019-20 prep basketball season with the 910Preps Rewind series, I turn my attention to a pair of regular-season thrillers between four of Fayetteville’s finest teams in the NCISAA Sandhills Conference.
Two of the private school programs play their home games in gyms that feature bleachers on one side and a stage on the other. The other two teams play in a recreation center.
But the location didn’t matter when these squads squared off.
Trinity Christian’s programs, along with the Fayetteville Christian girls and Village Christian boys, were a part of the best Sandhills games in the regular season and league tournament.
The Northwood Temple boys, who won the NCISAA 1-A state championship in February, will have their moment in the spotlight later in the week.
I got my first glimpse of these talented teams in November at the John D. Fuller Recreation Center, where Village Christian earned a 55-53 victory against Trinity Christian. On that night, senior Josh Reid collected a loose ball and made a layup with 26 seconds remaining for the go-ahead basket.
It wasn’t particularly pretty as turnovers piled up for both squads, but players on each side made winning plays in the second half to make it a back-and-forth affair.
Trinity senior Todd Burt Jr. scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and Village senior Zavian McLean, who is set to play college basketball at Columbia, finished with 20 to combat the Crusaders’ second-half charge before Reid’s finishing blow.
Following the game, Trinity coach Heath Vandevender said his team had to “grow up.”
Message received.
The Crusaders won their next 20 games, including a 49-46 last-second win against Northwood Temple in January. Sophomore Freddie Dilione drained the game-winning 3-pointer in that one and I, unfortunately, missed that game — so it doesn’t make the cut.
Trinity went on to claim the regular-season crown and Village got revenge with a one-point win in the championship game of the conference tournament.
By the end of the season, the Crusaders had won a program-record 26 games, which moved their 18-year total to 402 victories. Kurtis Darden’s club finished with 22 wins, making a run to the 3-A state championship for a second year in a row.
It was always a treat to walk into a gym and see those teams, and to talk with Burt or McLean. But it was tough to watch McLean and the Knights lose back-to-back state championships.
Still, Darden had nothing but good things to say about what his group had accomplished.
“I just told them I was proud of them,” Darden said after Village’s loss to Concord First Assembly in Charlotte.
“It’s been a long year — a lot of 6 a.m. practices, a lot of games, a lot of wind sprints.”
Trinity Christian and Fayetteville Christian finished the season as the top two girls’ teams in the Sandhills Conference. Their three meetings lived up to the hype, with the Crusaders winning each matchup by eight of fewer points.
I was lucky enough to witness two of those games, including a double-overtime thriller in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Fayetteville Christian, where the Crusaders earned a 65-60 victory to secure the regular-season title.
Junior Iyonnah Council, who became known for her seemingly endless amount of energy, finished with 23 points to lead Trinity. Noni Russell, Fayetteville Christian’s go-to scorer and senior leader, also put on a show with a 30-point performance.
After losing five straight to the Warriors, the Crusaders took three games this season and earned trophies with two of those victories. Still, Fayetteville Christian had plenty to celebrate because of Russell’s accomplishments and veteran coach Don Gardner surpassing 500 career wins.
Each time those four teams hit the court, they delivered thrillers for us to enjoy.
Any time, any place.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3519.
By Rodd Baxley
Staff writer
Posted Mar 25, 2020 at 12:39 PM
In the 910Preps Rewind series, staff writer Rodd Baxley looks back at the highlights of this past season in high school basketball
As I continue to relive the 2019-20 prep basketball season with the 910Preps Rewind series, I turn my attention to a pair of regular-season thrillers between four of Fayetteville’s finest teams in the NCISAA Sandhills Conference.
Two of the private school programs play their home games in gyms that feature bleachers on one side and a stage on the other. The other two teams play in a recreation center.
But the location didn’t matter when these squads squared off.
Trinity Christian’s programs, along with the Fayetteville Christian girls and Village Christian boys, were a part of the best Sandhills games in the regular season and league tournament.
The Northwood Temple boys, who won the NCISAA 1-A state championship in February, will have their moment in the spotlight later in the week.
I got my first glimpse of these talented teams in November at the John D. Fuller Recreation Center, where Village Christian earned a 55-53 victory against Trinity Christian. On that night, senior Josh Reid collected a loose ball and made a layup with 26 seconds remaining for the go-ahead basket.
It wasn’t particularly pretty as turnovers piled up for both squads, but players on each side made winning plays in the second half to make it a back-and-forth affair.
Trinity senior Todd Burt Jr. scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and Village senior Zavian McLean, who is set to play college basketball at Columbia, finished with 20 to combat the Crusaders’ second-half charge before Reid’s finishing blow.
Following the game, Trinity coach Heath Vandevender said his team had to “grow up.”
Message received.
The Crusaders won their next 20 games, including a 49-46 last-second win against Northwood Temple in January. Sophomore Freddie Dilione drained the game-winning 3-pointer in that one and I, unfortunately, missed that game — so it doesn’t make the cut.
Trinity went on to claim the regular-season crown and Village got revenge with a one-point win in the championship game of the conference tournament.
By the end of the season, the Crusaders had won a program-record 26 games, which moved their 18-year total to 402 victories. Kurtis Darden’s club finished with 22 wins, making a run to the 3-A state championship for a second year in a row.
It was always a treat to walk into a gym and see those teams, and to talk with Burt or McLean. But it was tough to watch McLean and the Knights lose back-to-back state championships.
Still, Darden had nothing but good things to say about what his group had accomplished.
“I just told them I was proud of them,” Darden said after Village’s loss to Concord First Assembly in Charlotte.
“It’s been a long year — a lot of 6 a.m. practices, a lot of games, a lot of wind sprints.”
Trinity Christian and Fayetteville Christian finished the season as the top two girls’ teams in the Sandhills Conference. Their three meetings lived up to the hype, with the Crusaders winning each matchup by eight of fewer points.
I was lucky enough to witness two of those games, including a double-overtime thriller in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Fayetteville Christian, where the Crusaders earned a 65-60 victory to secure the regular-season title.
Junior Iyonnah Council, who became known for her seemingly endless amount of energy, finished with 23 points to lead Trinity. Noni Russell, Fayetteville Christian’s go-to scorer and senior leader, also put on a show with a 30-point performance.
After losing five straight to the Warriors, the Crusaders took three games this season and earned trophies with two of those victories. Still, Fayetteville Christian had plenty to celebrate because of Russell’s accomplishments and veteran coach Don Gardner surpassing 500 career wins.
Each time those four teams hit the court, they delivered thrillers for us to enjoy.
Any time, any place.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3519.
