Cape Fear Christian Academy started Sandhills Athletic Conference play on Friday with a varsity basketball split in a pair of competitive games against visiting rival Northwood Temple Academy for Homecoming. CFCA won the boys game after NTA won the girls contest.

A third-quarter surge lifted Cape Fear Christian to a 77-72 win over Northwood Temple in the boys game.

“We did play well. We executed for the most part,” said CFCA boys coach Kalen Eddings. “We’ve just got to do better at the end of games, finishing games. There were a lot of possessions where we got stops and then gave up an offensive rebound or we get a stop and started dribbling it out and turning it over. We’ve just got to do better about securing victories and trying to build leads instead of trading baskets.”

All five starters scored in double figures for the homestanding Eagles (9-3, 1-0 SAC). Junior Paul Tako led the team with 24 points. Jeremyah McWilliams, Greg Moneymaker and Jamael Carter had 14 points apiece. Austin Locklear had 11 points.

“That’s huge,” Eddings said. “All of those guys are capable of doing that. I think our X-factor offensively is Greg. When Greg’s shooting the ball well, it opens up a lot of things for us. He played well tonight. Austin was solid. He struggled a little on defense from time to time, but he’s learning and we’re asking him to do a lot on defense. He was rock solid at the free throw line at the end and that’s all you can ask for. Paul is a monster. He doesn’t realize how good he can be. Jeremyah is solid. He just plays his spots well and does what we ask him to do. I’m pleased.”

CFCA shot a red hot 22-for-26 (84.6 percent) at the free throw line, led by 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) shooting from Tako, a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from Locklear and 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) shooting from Carter.

“I think we’re hovering right around 75 plus (percentage on the season), so that’s awesome,” Eddings said. “We’ve been doing a lot more shooting free throws in practice. Especially in the end of games like that, we know teams are going to foul us and we’ve got to knock them in. That’s huge.”

Senior Jay Hickman had 24 points, sophomore JaQuantae Harris had 17 points and senior Reggie Raynor had 16 points to lead the visiting Eagles (8-7, 0-1).

Eddings said Raynor getting into foul trouble opened several options up for CFCA’s offense in the second half.

“We knew he was such a great player and we knew that if we could get him in foul trouble, we’d have a chance,” Eddings said. “He had four, so we told the guys, ‘He can’t really defend you. He’s just going to try to go straight up and make you shoot over him.’ And we felt like that we could get it inside.”

At the end of a back-and-forth first half, a Carter free throw in the waning seconds marked the difference as CFCA led 28-27 at halftime.

With NTA leading 39-38 midway through the third quarter, the lead changed hands for the last time on a pair of free throws from Tako that started an 11-1 CFCA run.

CFCA’s strong performance at the free throw line helped the home team hold off NTA in the fourth quarter. CFCA went 14-for-15 (93.3 percent) at the line in the final frame.

After struggling in the first half, a second half rally was not enough for Cape Fear Christian, as Northwood Temple took a 64-55 win in the girls game.

“In the first half we came out really sluggish,” said CFCA girls coach Bobby Lamb. “We gave them a 15-, 16-point lead and it got up close to 20 points. And then a light shined that we could actually play with them.”

Junior Zykia Matthews had 16 points, freshman Meredith Taylor had 12 points and senior Kristen Bass had 11 points to lead the homestanding Eagles (5-5, 0-1).

Lamb was pleased with the senior leadership shown by Kristen Bass during the second-half rally.

“She has cut down on the turnovers,” Lamb said. “Early in the year we gave her that role as point guard and it was unfamiliar territory for her. But the last few games she has really cut down on turnovers. I am so proud of her stepping up.”

Talisha McNeill had seven points. Aubree Bass had three points. Meghan Taylor, Ella John Dupree and Laney Trainer had two points apiece.

Junior Jasmon Nolin had 26 points, senior Jasmine Locklear had 16 points and seventh-grader Danauje Brooks had 15 points to lead the visiting Eagles (8-1, 1-0).

NTA dominated the first half to take a 28-11 halftime lead.

With NTA leading 37-18 midway through the third quarter, a score from Meredith Taylor started CFCA on a 16-4 run that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth with a Kristen Bass score cutting the lead to just seven, at 41-34.

But the lowest CFCA would cut the lead down to was six, after a Meredith Taylor three cut it to 49-43 midway through the fourth. But NTA was able to hold off the home team and escape with the win.

CFCA’s girls play at Fairmont (1-6) in the first round of the Robeson County Shoot-out Tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. The tournament lasts from Thursday to Saturday.

“If we can play with that intensity (from Friday’s second half), we’re going to come out with a win or two,” Lamb said.

CFCA’s boys will participate in the South Granville Christmas Tournament from Dec. 26-28, meeting Ravenscroft (4-6) in the first round on Dec. 26 at 9 a.m.

“I just think that we’ve got to keep getting better every day,” Eddings said. “That’s what we preach. I pray at the end of every practice and I always say, ‘Thank you, God, for allowing us to get better every day. Please allow us to get better every day.’ We feel like if we can just keep getting better every day, we’ll be really good at the end of January, when it counts.”