BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Northside Christian Academy was able to make it to the semifinals before seeing its season come to an end with a 23-12 loss to Open Bible Christian on Feb. 17 in the Southeastern Christian Conference girls basketball tournament, which was hosted by Northside.
The Eagles (11-8) entered the tournament as the West Division’s number-two seed, going 2-2 before being eliminated. Northside came close to winning its first two games, but after opening with a win over Brunswick Christian, the third seed in the East, the Eagles were put into the loser’s bracket with a 25-22 loss to Ludowici, Georgia’s Faith Baptist, the top seed in the East.
Northside scored seven of the 10 points of the game against Faith Baptist. Makayla Price had the first basket of the game, followed by Arianna Norman driving to the basket for a score and drawing a foul in the process. Norman made the free throw to put the Eagles ahead 5-0. A rebound putback by Jacee Smith later made it a 7-3 game.
Faith Baptist outscored Northside 6-2 in the second quarter, which left the Eagles trailing 11-9 at halftime.
A Chloe Templeton steal led to a three-pointer by Norman to put Northside ahead in the third quarter. The Crusaders went back on top, getting two consecutive baskets from Aimee Massey, but Northside’s Norman scored consecutive baskets of her own – both on pull-up jumpers — to put the Eagles up 16-15 entering the final quarter.
Norman scored the first five points of the fourth quarter off two field goals and a free throw to put Northside ahead 21-15.
Faith missed its first five field-goal attempts of the quarter and had an 0-for-2 trip to the foul line before Northside picked up a foul and a technical foul. The Crusaders made only 2 of the ensuing 4 free-throw attempts and went on to miss their next two field-goal attempts.
The Crusaders’ Sophie Sellars came away with a backcourt steal and sank a jump shot with 2:33 to play, making it a two-point game.
After Faith went 0 for 2 at the foul line at the 1:46 mark, Sellars scored off Juliana Moye’s backcourt steal to tie the score at 21-21.
Another turnover led to two free throws by Faith’s Massey with 1:11 to play.
Northside committed turnovers on its next two possessions as well, but a steal by Smith gave the Eagles the ball with 21 seconds remaining. After a Northside time out, the Eagles turned the ball over, but Smith again gave her team a chance by coming up with another steal, which led to Northside calling a time out with 10 seconds on the clock. Rosalea Norman was then fouled on a drive to the basket. She made 1 of 2 free throws to make it 23-22.
Faith’s Sellars rebounded Norman’s missed free throw and was immediately fouled. She made both free throws with 1 second left to end the scoring and give the Crusaders the three-point win.
Arianna Norman finished with 15 points, while Price, Smith and Lexie Welsh each had two. Rosalea Norman added one point.
Smith grabbed six rebounds, while Price and Arianna Norman each had four.
Eagles reach semis with 27-18 victory
Northside rebounded from the Faith Baptist loss with two straight wins. After defeating Hope Christian 39-18 (see related story), the Eagles then defeated High Springs’ First Christian 27-18 in the second of three games Northside played on Feb. 17.
The Eagles trailed 8-4 before outscoring First Christian 9-3 in the second quarter. Arianna Norman had a three-pointer, followed by two consecutive baskets by Smith to put Northside ahead 11-10. Rosalea Norman sank a jump shot to help send the Eagles into halftime leading 13-11.
It remained a three-point game in favor of Northside heading into the fourth quarter. Rosalea Norman scored in transition to put the Eagles ahead 21-16. Arianna Norman added a basket after a Welsh steal and later scored on a baseline drive to put Northside up by nine points.
The Lions scored only two points in the fourth quarter.
Northside got 13 points from Arianna Norman, six from Rosalea Norman, four from Smith and two each from Welsh and Briley Parrish.
Price and Smith had 10 and eight rebounds, respectively.
Open Bible ends Northside’s season
After an Arianna Norman three-pointer made it a one-point game in the third quarter, the Eagles were outscored 11-1 the rest of the way in a 23-12 loss to Open Bible in a Feb. 17 semifinal game.
The game was an offensive struggle for both teams, who combined to score just four points in the first quarter. Northside didn’t get a field goal until Smith sank a jump shot with 1:05 remaining in the first half.
With Open Bible leading 10-5, almost two minutes went by in the third quarter until either team had a score. That occurred when Arianna Norman hit the first of her two three-point shots.
Open Bible’s Sabrina McMillan answered with a basket off an offensive rebound before Norman sank a shot from beyond the arc again, leaving the Eagles trailing 12-11.
The Warriors scored two baskets in transition in closing out the third quarter with five straight points.
Northside went scoreless in the fourth quarter, going 0 for 6 from the field and committing nine turnovers.
Arianna Norman finished with eight points, while Smith and Rosalea Norman each had two.
Price and Arianna Norman each had four rebounds.
Open Bible (17-3) would go on to win the tournament championship.
