Four freshmen were included in the starting lineup.

They had never achieved a championship in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association, in any sport.

They were up against a team that had previously defeated them for the 1A girls’ basketball championship earlier in the year.

They were ranked fifth, which meant they had to play away games in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

However, the events that occurred on Friday were insignificant for Cresset Christian.

The Eagles maintained control throughout the game and secured a 48-45 victory over Northside Christian in the championship, achieving a significant milestone for their school.

At halftime, Cresset (20-2) was leading 25-16 against Ravenscroft School, thanks to a strong 14-6 start in the first quarter. The lead remained in the double digits for most of the second half until one of their four freshman starters, Lamiyah Jarrett, fouled out with 6:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles only managed to score seven points for the remainder of the game, but it proved to be sufficient. With less than a minute remaining, Northside Christian was trailing by four points and was able to make a layup. They then proceeded to steal the inbounds pass, but missed a jumper that would have evened the score. In the final seconds of the game, they fouled Cresset’s Trinity Jefferson, who is also a freshman, with 3.8 seconds left.

Jefferson’s first attempt was unsuccessful, but he made the second to increase the lead by three points. Northside was unable to take a shot and tie the game.

The Eagles were only defeated twice during the year, both times by state finalists. One of these losses was to Northside Christian, while the other was to Grace Christian of Sanford in the 3A division.

JaKaila Gaskin scored 19 points to lead Northside Christian (17-11).

Jefferson scored 17 points for the Eagles, while Jarrett contributed 15 points.

Scoring Summary

Cresset Christian: Jefferson with 17 points, Bryant with 8 points, Vuelta with 3 points, Jarrett with 15 points, and English with 5 points.

Northside Christian had a total of 45 points, with Amani Womack scoring 2, JaKaila Gaskin scoring 19, Brianna Carelock scoring 6, Gabrielle Golphin scoring 3, Courtney Ashford scoring 7, and Laylah Toscano scoring 8.

Source: highschoolot.com