Lee Christian jumps headlong into hoops
Nov. 12—Private schools are allowed to start basketball season a little earlier than public schools, and Lee Christian wasted no time getting started on Wednesday and Thursday.
No one involved with the Falcons expected victories in the two-day tournament held at Cape Fear Christian Academy in Erwin, but the teams did have some bright spots even while overmatched by their opponents.
Lee's men and women both opened the event Wednesday with games against 2A Fayetteville Christian School. The men hung in with the Warriors, in a result that looked far better than next day, when FCS stunned host Cape Fear Christian to win the tournament. Fayetteville Christian had a dreadful 1-22 record last year but showed enormous improvement in its first two games of the 2022-23 season, beating the Falcons 65-51 and then downing the host school 64-55. The Warriors have already exceeded their win total of a year ago before Veterans Day.
The Lee men went on to play the South Wake Sabres in the consolation game. South Wake is the defending North Carolina homeschool state champion and went on to finish third in the nation among homeschool teams, who have a national tournament every March. The Sabres had been shocked 87-86 on Wednesday by Cape Fear and took it out on the Falcons, running out to a 20-point lead early on and cruising to an 80-43 victory.
Sophomore guard Noah Wright, who had shot the ball poorly in the loss to CFCA, had a hot hand early in South Wake's game with Lee Christian. He hit three 3-pointers and had 13 points in the first quarter alone, en route to a game-high 20. The Sabres built up a 25-point lead by the second quarter before the Falcons finally found a rhythm on offense. They played South Wake more or less evenly until both teams subbed in the middle of the fourth quarter. The Sabres' reserves extended their team's lead but never reached a 40-point "mercy rule" situation.
Sawyer Elkins led Lee Christian with 22 points. Danny Rumbold and Maddoc Glines added eight each.
Lady Falcons return to varsity play
The Lee Christian women were playing their first varsity games since February of 2021. Last season, the Lady Falcons were so young that they elected not to play a varsity schedule, and even this year, remain a very young team. Head coach Donna Taylor brought 11 players to the tournament, including seventh-grader Madison Yow, eighth-graders Harley Wicker, Kenah Smith, Jamiya Graham and Alayna Moore; freshmen Elayna McFarland, Addyson Godfrey, Maggie Glines and Madison Marshburn; and sophomores Madison Roberts and Kelsey King.
The team was confronted by a Fayetteville Academy team on Wednesday that is coming off a 16-4 season, and lost 63-18. On Thursday, in the consolation game, they took on the host school, who went to the second round of last year's NCISAA 1A state playoffs, and lost 58-16.
Cape Fear (1-1), which lost to South Wake in the opening round of the tournament, might be the favorite in the Mid-Carolina Conference after joining the league in the off-season. CFCA moved over after Grace Christian moved up to 2A and left the conference, but this game with Lee doesn't count in the conference standings.
While there was nothing the Lady Falcons could have done to change the outcome, Taylor felt her team had showed its youth, playing tentatively after some borderline calls went against them early in the game. Lee picked up its game in the second half after McFarland made a block on the defensive end and was playing much better basketball as the game ended, even before the Lady Eagles subbed late in the game.
Playing with a roster younger than some opponents' JV teams, the Lady Falcons will endure growing pains this winter, but also have potential.
McFarland led Lee Christian with 10 points, all in the second half. Smith had four and Marshburn the other two.
The Lady Falcons will travel to Thales-Apex on Monday night, in what will be the season opener for Thales. After that game, they are not scheduled to play again until Dec. 1.
