Fast start keys Trinity Christian’s ‘driver’s seat’ win at Village
By Rodd Baxley
Staff writer
Trinity Christian had Friday’s game at Village Christian circled on the calendar.
After losing to the Knights in the final minute of the first meeting in November, the Crusaders were ready for some revenge in the rematch.
They showed it on Friday night with a first-half blitz, building a 28-point lead before fending off a second-half rally to take command of the NCISAA Sandhills Conference with an 88-75 win.
“We’ve been wanting to play them ever since they beat us back in November…we’ve really been waiting for this game,”said freshman Xavier Tubbs, who scored 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter to spark the early surge.
Sophomore Jamori McDougald scored 19 points to lead five Crusaders in double figures. Todd Burt Jr. added 18, Fred Dillione tallied 11 and Cam Oates contributed 10 to help Trinity earn its 20th victory of the season and 16th in a row.
“They beat us early in the year andwe’ve got two games in conference left,” said Trinity coach Heath Vandevender.
“Now, we’re in the driver’s seat. I just told them to embrace the moment. This is a young group and I thought we got out to a great start.”
After playing four games in eight days, Vandevender said his players“went light in practice”to save their energy. The Crusaders (20-1, 8-1) certainly looked fresh against the Knights, using a 28-12 first quarter to set the pace before carrying a 57-34 lead into halftime. “I thought we attacked the zone properly through the high post and the low post,” Vandevender said. “I thought we made some extra passes and got some really good shots. You’ve got to give the kids credit because they knocked them down.”
Village coach Kurtis Darden said the Knights“didn’tcome out with a lot of energy.”
“They smacked us in the face,” Darden added, “and we didn’t smack back.”
The Crusaders led by 28 late in the second quarter and held a 23-point advantage three minutes into the third quarter before Dilione left the game with a nose injury. After a 10-minute delay to clean blood off the court, Village came alive with a 14-8 spurt to trim their deficit to 17.
Vandevender praised his young group for how they responded to the big-game opportunity, particularly McDougald and Tubbs. “I thought Jamori played calm,” the coach said.
“He took what the defense gave him and he got in a groove early. He always plays hard and he always plays good defense.”
Vandevender often teases Tubbs because he’s a freshman on varsity, but there’s no denying the talent of the young guard. “When X is aggressive like that … he’s gonna be a special kid,” Vandevender said. “I’m very proud of how he played.”
Despite the loss, Darden was pleased with how his team rallied in the second half. The Knights (17-5, 6-2) outscored Trinity 41-31 in the final 16 minutes to give themselves a chance late in the fourth quarter.
“I just told them at halftime that how we finished the second half would kind of give me a telltale sign of how we would finish our season,” Darden said.
“… I was proud of the way we didn’t quit and continued on in the second half.”
Incredibly, three players did all of the scoring for Village as Justin Thomas tallied a gamehigh 33 points, scoring all of his points after the first quarter.
Zavian McLean contributed 28 points before fouling out and Josh Reid added 14.
“We’re just trying to win every game, one game at a time,” Darden said.
“Had a little bit of a winning streak going and this was a championship- type game. Hopefully, we’ll get to be in more championship- type games and we’ll learn from this one, and we’ll respond next time around.”
Village would make it an 8-point game with 59 seconds remaining but would get no closer. Trinity knocked down free throws and Burt put a bow on the victory with a windmill dunk before time expired to snap the Crusaders’ two-game losing streak against Village.
“We were just ready to get back at them from when they beat us the first time,” said McDougald, who drilled four 3-pointers.
“To be honest, I knew how good we could be. … Hopefully, we get these two wins and win the conference.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver. com or 910-486-3519.
By Rodd Baxley
Staff writer
Trinity Christian had Friday’s game at Village Christian circled on the calendar.
After losing to the Knights in the final minute of the first meeting in November, the Crusaders were ready for some revenge in the rematch.
They showed it on Friday night with a first-half blitz, building a 28-point lead before fending off a second-half rally to take command of the NCISAA Sandhills Conference with an 88-75 win.
“We’ve been wanting to play them ever since they beat us back in November…we’ve really been waiting for this game,”said freshman Xavier Tubbs, who scored 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter to spark the early surge.
Sophomore Jamori McDougald scored 19 points to lead five Crusaders in double figures. Todd Burt Jr. added 18, Fred Dillione tallied 11 and Cam Oates contributed 10 to help Trinity earn its 20th victory of the season and 16th in a row.
“They beat us early in the year andwe’ve got two games in conference left,” said Trinity coach Heath Vandevender.
“Now, we’re in the driver’s seat. I just told them to embrace the moment. This is a young group and I thought we got out to a great start.”
After playing four games in eight days, Vandevender said his players“went light in practice”to save their energy. The Crusaders (20-1, 8-1) certainly looked fresh against the Knights, using a 28-12 first quarter to set the pace before carrying a 57-34 lead into halftime. “I thought we attacked the zone properly through the high post and the low post,” Vandevender said. “I thought we made some extra passes and got some really good shots. You’ve got to give the kids credit because they knocked them down.”
Village coach Kurtis Darden said the Knights“didn’tcome out with a lot of energy.”
“They smacked us in the face,” Darden added, “and we didn’t smack back.”
The Crusaders led by 28 late in the second quarter and held a 23-point advantage three minutes into the third quarter before Dilione left the game with a nose injury. After a 10-minute delay to clean blood off the court, Village came alive with a 14-8 spurt to trim their deficit to 17.
Vandevender praised his young group for how they responded to the big-game opportunity, particularly McDougald and Tubbs. “I thought Jamori played calm,” the coach said.
“He took what the defense gave him and he got in a groove early. He always plays hard and he always plays good defense.”
Vandevender often teases Tubbs because he’s a freshman on varsity, but there’s no denying the talent of the young guard. “When X is aggressive like that … he’s gonna be a special kid,” Vandevender said. “I’m very proud of how he played.”
Despite the loss, Darden was pleased with how his team rallied in the second half. The Knights (17-5, 6-2) outscored Trinity 41-31 in the final 16 minutes to give themselves a chance late in the fourth quarter.
“I just told them at halftime that how we finished the second half would kind of give me a telltale sign of how we would finish our season,” Darden said.
“… I was proud of the way we didn’t quit and continued on in the second half.”
Incredibly, three players did all of the scoring for Village as Justin Thomas tallied a gamehigh 33 points, scoring all of his points after the first quarter.
Zavian McLean contributed 28 points before fouling out and Josh Reid added 14.
“We’re just trying to win every game, one game at a time,” Darden said.
“Had a little bit of a winning streak going and this was a championship- type game. Hopefully, we’ll get to be in more championship- type games and we’ll learn from this one, and we’ll respond next time around.”
Village would make it an 8-point game with 59 seconds remaining but would get no closer. Trinity knocked down free throws and Burt put a bow on the victory with a windmill dunk before time expired to snap the Crusaders’ two-game losing streak against Village.
“We were just ready to get back at them from when they beat us the first time,” said McDougald, who drilled four 3-pointers.
“To be honest, I knew how good we could be. … Hopefully, we get these two wins and win the conference.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver. com or 910-486-3519.
