Faith Christian boys fall to Hilltop

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 17, 2013 1:47 PM

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Nine games into the season, Faith Christian continues to search for an identity and some shooting confidence on the basketball court.

Head coach Jeff Stocks hopes his team finds it soon.

The Conquerors whittled a double-digit deficit to two points on numerous occasions in the second half, but couldn't complete the comeback in a 63-53 loss to N.C. Christian Schools Association 2-A foe Hilltop Christian on Monday evening.

Hilltop defeated Faith for the third time this season.

"We knew we could beat them if we play well and I still think we can if we make shots," Stocks said. "If we make easy open 3s and a couple of 10-footers, it's a different ballgame. I thought everybody was involved (in the game) pretty good tonight, but they just don't have confidence in their shot right now."

Faith (5-4 overall) committed senseless turnovers against Hilltop's 2-2-1 full-court trap and couldn't convert layups in transition during the opening quarter. The Chargers led by 13 points after eight minutes of play.

The lead ballooned to 16 points in the second quarter before Conquerors senior Vic Jenkins got into an offensive groove. The Rosewood transfer dumped in 16 of his game- and career-high 36 points, which helped close the gap to 29-25 at halftime.

Jenkins' driving layup pulled Faith to within 33-31 midway through the third period. Hilltop responded with a quick 7-0 run that included an old-fashioned, three-point play by Jared Crist.

Crist finished with 15 points.

The Chargers (17-2) maintained a three-possession advantage until the final three minutes of regulation. Raleigh Anderson's 3-pointer off of Richard Sasser's assist shaved Hilltop's lead to 55-50.

Jenkins, who also pulled down a career-best 24 rebounds, converted a driving layup with 1:52 to go. The Chargers led 57-53 at that point and sealed the victory at the free throw line.

Hilltop outscored Faith 15-10 at the charity stripe. Louis Baker led the Chargers with 28 points.

"If we could make shots, we wouldn't have to wait until the last minute and a half (of the game) to have a chance (to win)," Stocks lamented. "You think about it. Take the layups out of the game, we probably shoot less than 30 percent (from the floor).

"That's the way it's been the last three games we've played."