BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Northside Christian Academy, after getting dropped into the loser’s bracket, defeated Hope Christian 39-18 on the second day of action at the Southeastern Christian Conference girls basketball tournament, which was hosted by Northside.
The Eagles got off to a quick start. Makayla Price sank a jump shot, followed by Arianna Norman stealing the ball and making a three-point basket. Another Hope turnover led to a basket by Rosalea Norman, giving Northside a 7-0 lead.
Addyson Wilson finally put the Lions on the board with a three-point basket, but Northside closed out the first quarter with seven straight points. Arianna Norman made a three-pointer and later had a free throw. Lexie Welsh also had a free throw before Rosalea Norman scored off an offensive rebound.
It took more than four minutes for either team to score in the second quarter. Hope’s Ashlyn Crews ended the drought with a pair of free throws.
Less than a minute remained in the half before Northside got on the board, courtesy of Welsh jump shot. Rosalea Norman then scored off a turnover to make it 18-5 in favor of the Eagles.
The Lions’ Aubriana Clark had a rebound putback before the buzzer to send Hope into the locker room trailing 18-7.
Northside outscored Hope 9-2 in the third quarter to build an 18-point lead. Rosalea Norman had two consecutive baskets before Arianna Norman sank a three-pointer. A Rosalea Norman steal led to a basket by Price.
Crews scored off her own steal to give the Lions their only basket of the quarter.
Arianna Norman made her fourth three-pointer of the game in the fourth quarter, while teammate Briley Parrish scored nine points off four field goals and a free throw. Two of Parrish’s baskets came off offensive rebounds.
The Eagles were led by Arianna Norman’s 13 points and Rosalea Norman’s 10 points. Northside also got nine from Parrish, four from Price and three from Welsh.
Arianna Norman led the team in rebounds with six, while Price had four.
Welsh had a team-high four steals, while Arianna Norman and Rosalea Norman each had three.
Hope got six points each from Crews and Wilson, four from Clark and two from Joanne Abbott.
Mackenzie McRaney led the Lions with six rebounds, while Crews had five. Clark, Abbott and Alyssa Hunt each had four.
Crews also had three steals.
With the loss, Hope, which was the tournament’s fourth seed in the West, ended its season with a 4-12 record. The Lions began the tournament with a 34-15 loss to number-one East seed Faith Baptist of Ludowici, Georgia, and then defeated number-three East seed Brunswick Christian Academy 39–37 to set up the game against Northside.
Faith Baptist went on to finish as tournament runner-up to Open Bible of Valdosta, Georgia. Open Bible was the number-one seed in the West.
