HENDERSONVILLE If possession is nine-tenths of the law, then the Hendersonville Christian Academy boys prep basketball team found itself on the wrong side of it on Thursday evening.
Hendersonville Christian Academy sophomore Peyton Shoulders passes during fourth-quarter action. Shoulders scored three points.
The Crusaders were hampered by 24 turnovers and a cold-shooting performance in a 58-28 loss to visiting Nashville Christian in a Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Hall of Champions contest.
“That was our key to having any success tonight, limiting turnovers,” HCA head coach John Taylor said. “We didn’t do it. We did not handle (Nashville Christian’s) pressure. We turned the ball over, and that was our biggest mistake.”
The Crusaders shot 26.7 percent (12 of 45) from the field and fared far worse from three-point range, hitting just 10 percent of their attempts (2 of 20).
Having two senior starters out of the lineup didn’t help as Blake Smith (injured) and Emilio Quemada (ineligible until early next week) were both unavailable for HCA.
“Our two biggest scorers weren’t with us,” Taylor said. “It really showed and it hurt us. No excuse … these younger guys have got to step up and knock down some shots. We didn’t get very many good shots until the end of the game.”
The Crusaders also gave up far more free-throw opportunities as the Eagles (1-1) hit 21 of 28 foul shots.
“We fouled the heck out of them,” Taylor said. “We didn’t stick to our defensive game plan, and consequently, we ended up fouling a ton.”
Nashville Christian shot 39.1 percent from the field (18 of 46), and both teams struggled to get going offensively as the Eagles led 9-4 after the first quarter.
Hendersonville Christian Academy sophomore Jalen Cole releases a 3-pointer during first-quarter action. Cole scored four points.
The Eagles led 23-13 at the half, but they were boosted by a third-quarter surge of 12 consecutive points – all by senior Zell Walker – to give Nashville Christian a 35-15 lead with 3:50 left in the period.
HCA fell further behind in the fourth quarter as the Crusaders were outscored by a 17-2 margin during one stretch. Nashville Christian attempted 12 free throws in the fourth quarter.
“I like our aggressiveness, but we’ve got to be smart with the effort,” Taylor said. “And we didn’t have that.”
Sophomore Devin Carlisle led the Crusaders with nine points and 13 rebounds, eight of those rebounds coming at the offensive end.
“He plays with a lot of effort,” Taylor said. “He has a lot of energy. He’s a strong kid. I’m proud of his effort, and he’s just a sophomore.”
Senior Joey Fragnoli scored eight points, followed by sophomore Jalen Cole (4), sophomore Peyton Shoulders (3), junior Dillon Andress (2) and junior Justin Antemann (2).
Clay Frazier provided 10 points for Nashville Christian.
Hendersonville Christian Academy junior Andre Hambrick releases a layin during first-quarter action.
The Crusaders will participate in a TSSAA Hall of Champions playday at Trousdale County on Saturday. HCA will face Trousdale County at 12:30 p.m. and Monterey at 3:30 p.m.
HCA will open the regular season at Montgomery Bell Academy on Tuesday.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN (58) – Zell Walker 22, Clay Frazier 10, Jacob Ogle 8, Chandler White 5, Ronnie Forte 4, Miles Smith 4, Austin Bishop 3, Brian Hedden 2.
HENDERSONVILLE CHRISTIAN (28) – Devin Carlisle 9, Joey Fragnoli 8, Jalen Cole 4, Peyton Shoulders 3, Dillon Andress 2, Justin Antemann 2.
Half: 23-13, Nashville Christian. Three-point goals: Nashville Christian 1 (Walker 1), Hendersonville Christian 2 (Cole 1, Shoulders 1). Records: Nashville Christian 1-1, Hendersonville Christian 0-1.
