Wilmington, NC (February 11, 2024) - Cape Fear Men's Basketball hosted two back-to-back games against Region 10 Conference opponents this past Friday and Saturday where they swept both teams and solidified the #3 spot in the conference rankings.
In their first matchup against the Gaston Rhinos, the Sea Devils started off strong with 3 straight fast break layups from Avion Pinner within the first 6 minutes of play. From then on, Cape Fear moved the ball quickly and efficiently, while also creating many scoring opportunities from initial defensive rebounds. Towards the end of the first half, the Sea Devils lost some rhythm and allowed Gaston to regain traction in the final minutes.
In the second half, Cape Fear missed a few important fast break chances from missed shots and passing turnovers - and with a few unnecessary fouls that sent the Rhinos to the line, the majority of the half was spent neck-and-neck. But as the second half progressed, the Sea Devils found the fire to push the Rhinos to their limits and end the game with a double-digit lead. Knoah Carver ended the game with 19 points while Korey Richardson finished with 17. "We executed very well offensively and only allowed 5 offensive rebounds for them, so I was really pleased with the way we finished today," says Head Coach Mark Lane.
Moving into Saturday's matchup against the USC Salkehatchie Indians, CFCC once again took the reigns early and went up 10 points in the first minutes of play before Salk could put anything on the board. The Indians found their rhythm from the 3-point line early and managed to take the lead midway through, but a few clean fast breaks kept the Sea Devils in it throughout the first half. The Sea Devils also found some success from the 3-point line towards the end of the first half of play.
The Sea Devils struggled to keep up with Salk during the majority of the second half as Cape Fear set up beautiful scoring opportunities that they could not finish, but managed to keep things close due to their defensive tenacity. A clutch 3-pointer far beyond the line from Moses Tufts secured the Sea Devils in the fight as they tied the score at 69-69.
From then on, both teams went tit-for-tat with minor leads throughout the final minutes of play, but the Sea Devils pulled through with a few important defensive stops. Truman Claytor closed out the game with an impactful 3-pointer in the final minutes while he and Avion Pinner drew solid fouls and made important free throw shots to close things out.
"Today was a total team effort," remarks Coach Lane. "We got stops when we needed to, and eventually that becomes a snowball effect that puts us in the best position to win."
Cape Fear Men's Basketball will continue their home stint as they host Caldwell on Friday, February 16 at 6 PM in the Schwartz Center.
