FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – A tale of two halves at Monday’s Terry Sanford MLK Dream Jam yielded a thrilling finish in a battle between the top two teams in HighSchoolOT’s latest statewide girls basketball rankings.

Down 21 at the half, the host Bulldogs slashed its deficit to as little as three in the fourth quarter but could not hold on thanks to 39 combined points from Grace Christian’s dynamic sophomore duo of Jordan Speller and Kyndoll English.

The No. 1 ranked Crusaders escaped with a 67-58 win to sweep away the season series from No. 2 Terry Sanford.

Momentum from a 54-46 win over the Bulldogs at the John Wall Holiday Invitational helped establish pace in a 21-12 first quarter.

The opening period saw English and freshman Adaora Mogbo combine for a dozen points in the paint.

Speller and Isa Roman instantly pushed the lead into double figures when the clock flipped to the second quarter. 6 of Speller’s 11 first-half points came in the period while Roman, an Appalachian State recruit, dialed up a pair of three-point baskets.

Grace Christian’s commanding 41-20 halftime lead slowly dissolved in the third.

Terry Sanford flipped the script with a 14-2 run to open the second half. Amya Harrington started the 20-point quarter with three buckets, while Breonna Roaf kept the Bulldogs within striking distance following a pair of threes late in the frame.

With a 52-40 lead in hand after three, turnovers started piling up for the Crusaders. Jaidiah Blake and Roaf sparked a 5-0 fourth quarter run to get within seven.

Roaf followed an Ameya Brown steal-and-score with two free throws to narrow the gap to 58-55 with 2:54 remaining.

Speller answered back by knocking down three of her next four free throw attempts. English put the finishing touches on the win with five straight to end the game.

Grace Christian is now 14-4 overall following the victory. On Wednesday, it faces TPLS Christian Academy. Terry Sanford jumps back into league play when it hosts Triton on Thursday. The Bulldogs are 14-3 this season.

BOX SCORE
GCS: 21-20-11-15 67
FTS: 12-8-20-18 58

SCORING
GCS: English 21, Speller 18, Mogbo 14, Roman 8, Frost 4, Hughes 2
FTS: Blake 20, Roaf 18, Brown 11, Harrington 7, Meadows 2

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