Telegraph Staff Writer
Hope Christian Academy scored consecutive baskets only twice and was unable to take advantage of its opportunities at the foul line in losing 33-29 to visiting Gainesville Christian Community in a varsity girls basketball matchup for homecoming on Jan. 20.
The Lions’ only lead came when Brooke McCloud made the first field goal of the game. From there, the Warriors outscored Hope 10-2 to take a six-point lead into the second quarter.
Charlotte Natirboff scored off a Jadie Clark assist to make it 11-6 early in the second quarter, but the Warriors scored three straight baskets. Clark ended the run with a three-pointer. McCloud then scored to leave the Lions trailing 17-11.
Hope’s second quarter also included a basket by Addyson Wilson and charge drawn by McCloud, but the Lions went 0 for 6 from the foul line, which left them trailing 19-13 at halftime.
The Lions (3-10) were able to cut their deficit to four as Gainesville went 1 of 3 from the field to open the third quarter. Alyssa Hunt scored off a McCloud assist. McCloud, after grabbing a defensive rebound, drove the baseline before dishing the ball off to Wilson for another bucket, making the score 21-17.
Hope also got a defensive rebound from Hunt and a turnover forced by Clark, but the Lions only managed two free throws by McCloud the rest of the quarter, which ended with the Warriors leading 25-19.
A Clark three-pointer made it a four-point game approximately two minutes into the final quarter. The Warriors went 0 for 3 from the field after that, with Clark, McCloud and Wilson each grabbing a defensive rebound, but the Lions committed two turnovers before Natirboff was fouled on a field-goal attempt. She made one of her free-throw attempts to make the score 27-24 with 4:45 to play.
The Warriors got a basket to go up by five. They then committed turnovers on three straight possessions and had an 0-for-2 trip at the foul line. During that span, Hope was only able to get a field goal from McCloud that made the score 29-26 with 2:10 remaining.
McCloud made a free throw following a Gainesville basket. The teams then exchanged baskets, with Hunt’s field goal making it 33-29 with less than a minute to play. The Warriors missed the front end of a one-and-one attempt at the foul line with 32 seconds to play. Natirboff rebounded the miss, but the Lions then turned the ball over.
Ashlyn Crews would force a Gainesville turnover, but time ran out on any hopes of a comeback.
McCloud, who was crowned homecoming queen the night before the game, led the Lions with 10 points. Clark finished with six points, while Hope also got four points each from Hunt and Wilson, three points from Natirboff and two points from Crews.
Hope travels to Lake City to play Hart 2 Hart on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 5:30 p.m. and will travel to Valdosta, Georgia, to play Open Bible Christian on Friday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m. The Lions then travel to play Gainesville Christian Community on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m.
