CHESTERTOWN — Madi Slager and Reagan Harrison scored six points apiece in Chestertown Christian Academy’s closing 14-8 run that sealed Friday night’s homecoming victory over Fairwinds Christian School of Bear, Delaware.
The final tally was 35-29.
Slager banked in a jump shot from the top of the key, just 8 seconds into the final frame, to break a 21-21 tie and give host CCA (3-4) the lead for good.
Katelyn Stoltzfus grabbed the rebound after a missed Fairwinds free throw and raced the length of the court for a layup and then Harrison scored on another fast-break opportunity to punctuate a run of six unanswered points that stretched the Patriots’ lead to 27-21 with 6 minutes, 29 seconds remaining.
Bella Pennachietti scored on Fairwinds’ ensuing possession, but that played out to be only an interruption as CCA pieced together another run of six unanswered points to extend the spread to double digits, 33-23, when Harrison parlayed a steal into a layup with 4:05 to go.
Natalie Hernandez scored the next four points, all from the free throw line, to shrink the deficit to 33-27 with about a minute and a half to play, but the deficit was too large for the visiting Knights to overcome.
Fairwinds junior Gabby Johnson led all players with 15 points, but was held to a single field goal over the final eight minutes.
Harrison led the Patriots with 12 points.
Slager contributed eight points, Katelyn Stoltzfus added five points, Megan Stoltzfus and Lily Miller each scored four points, and Aryn Lloyd had the remaining two points.
CCA’s roster runs the gamut of sixth graders to high school juniors. Harrison and Lloyd are eighth graders, and Katelyn Stoltzfus is a seventh grader.
Fairwinds (1-10) also has a youthful squad, with sixth, seventh and eighth graders as well as high school underclassmen.
Neither team has a senior.
Friday night’s game between the Delaware Valley Christian Athletic Conference rivals was closely contested through the opening 24 minutes.
The teams locked into a 4-4 draw after the first quarter.
CCA led at halftime, 17-14, with Harrison scoring four points, Katelyn Stoltzfus coming off the bench to knock down a 3-pointer, and Slager, Miller and Lloyd each contributing a field goal in the second quarter.
Johnson single-handedly outscored CCA in the third quarter, 7-4. Her trey off the glass from the right side with 1:52 to go in the quarter made it 21-all.