BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Hope Christian Academy made three three-pointers in the final quarter in maintaining its lead in a 52-44 win over host Northside Christian in a boys basketball game on Jan. 9.
The Lions (5-6), who led almost the entire game, made seven three-pointers in all, getting four from Aiden Wilson, who finished with 19 points — the game high he shared with the Eagles’ Waylen Kahakua.
Hope scored six of the game’s first eight points and took a 9-4 lead into the second quarter. Mason Masciocchi scored following a turnover to put the Lions up 4-2, giving them a lead they’d never relinquish the rest of the half. Hope missed a shot after another Northside turnover, but Gunner Loften grabbed the rebound, which led to Griffin McCloud knocking down a jump shot to put the Lions up 6-2.
A three-pointer by Hope’s Walker Munroe made it a 9-3 game.
Kahakua had a strong start to the second quarter for Northside (6-4). He grabbed a defensive rebound after Hope missed its first field-goal attempt and later sank a jump shot following an offensive rebound by teammate Nathan Banks. Kahakua then blocked the Lions’ second field-goal attempt of the quarter.
Kahakua later made 1 of 2 technical free throws to pull the Eagles to within 9-7.
Hope answered with a 7-0 run that was all Wilson. First, he made his first three-pointer of the game. Wilson rebounded his own miss on another offensive series and put it back successfully. He then scored off his own steal to put the Lions
ahead 16-7.
Another Wilson three-pointer later in the quarter gave Hope a 22-12 lead, but the Eagles closed out the half with nine straight points. The run began with consecutive three-pointers by Nathan Rhoden and Kahakua. Kahakua then went 3 of 4 at the foul line to send Northside into halftime trailing only 22-21.
The Eagles took their first lead of the game when Kahakua made a three-pointer to start the third quarter. Wyatt Harden then had a steal and was fouled on his way to the basket. He made both free throws to give Northside a 26-22 lead.
Hope struggled coming out of the break, missing its first four field-goal attempts and committing two turnovers. It was 27-23 in favor of the Eagles before the Lions finally made a bucket, with McCloud scoring after a Wilson steal. McCloud later added another score off an offensive rebound that tied it up at 27-27.
It was 29-29 when the Lions outscored Northside 10-1 to close out the third quarter. Zenik Patrick scored off an offensive rebound before Munroe got a basket off a Wilson steal. After the Eagles’ Harden made a free throw, Hope got one free throw from Wilson and two free throws from Loften. Wilson later sank a three-pointer to send the Lions into the fourth quarter leading 39-30.
The final quarter began the same way the previous quarter ended, with Wilson knocking down a three-point basket.
Northside brought its deficit back to single digits, with Kahakua scoring off an offensive rebound and also making a three-pointer of his own, which left the Eagles trailing 42-35.
Loften and Patrick each made a three-point shot, while Patrick also added a two-point basket as Hope increased its lead to 14 points.
Rhoden had a couple of steals late in the quarter for Northside, scoring off one of them, but the Eagles couldn’t get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Loften joined Wilson in double figures with 11 points, while Hope also got seven points each from Loften and McCloud, five from Munroe and three from Masciocchi.
Harden and Rhoden just missed scoring in double figures for the Eagles with nine and eight points, respectively. Northside also got four points from Banks and two each from Michael Green and Noah Liston.
The win was Hope’s second in three games. On Jan. 7, the Lions hosted High Springs’ First Christian, winning 51-43. Wilson and Munroe scored 20 and 10 points, respectively. Patrick added nine points, while the Lions also got five each from Loften and Caden Hertzog and two from McCloud.
It was the second straight loss for Northside, which attempts to end the streak against Westwood Christian at home on Monday, Jan. 13, at 5 p.m.
The Lions and the Eagles play each other again on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 6:15 p.m. at Hope.
Hope next hosts Corinth Christian on Friday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m. The Lions then travel for two straight games, playing Gainesville Christian Community on Monday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. and Open Bible of Valdosta, Georgia, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 7:30 p.m.
Northside travels to Live Oak to play Westwood Christian on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 5:30 p.m.
