The Hilton Head Christian Academy boys found the win column for the first time in the new season, picking up a 63-47 home victory over the Coastal Hurricanes on Friday night.
The Eagles raced to a 19-8 first-quarter advantage and extended the lead to 13 at the half. The Hurricanes cut the lead back to single digits midway through the second half, but the home team pulled away shortly after.
“We want to be better in January and February than we are now,” said Travis Priddy, who picked up his first win as HHCA’s coach. “We’re still learning. We haven’t had but two practices with the full squad. We’re trying to get better but we’re hoping to be better in a few weeks.”
JP Peduzzi led all scorers with 19, Floyd Hargrove put up 11, and the duo of Jace Blackshear and Andrew Helms added nine apiece. Daniel Harrington scored eight and was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
“JP did really well; he was out in front on our press and got some easy buckets,” Priddy said. “He’s still trying to find his role on our team. Since we didn’t have our big man he had to play the five, once he found his rhythm on defense that allowed him to open up his offense.”
The Eagles converted well close to the hoop, shooting 67% on two-point attempts.
“They came out in a defense we weren’t expecting,” Priddy said. “We had to change some personnel around. Then it was just a matter of finding the gaps.”
HHCA (1-2) is right back at it Saturday, hosting Cathedral Academy at 1:30 p.m.
Story by Wes Kerr
Wes Kerr is a graduate of Hilton Head Island High School and Davidson College. He has a passion for statistics and analytics.