PANTEGO — Terra Ceia and Pungo met for the third time this season in Saturday’s Tarheel Independent Conference championship. Pungo competed throughout the first half, but the Knights ran away in the second to claim the league title.

The Knights, who hosted the tournament, made their first four shots to jump out to a quick 9-0 lead. Pungo called timeout and got its first points on a pair of Jonathan Langley free throws. Terra Ceia quickly took off on another run, capped off by Shaiquan Moore’s second-chance basket, to take an 18-4 lead.

The Raiders got to the charity stripe plenty in the second period. It helped them chip away at the deficit, which was 17 points after eight minutes. Brady Hudnell’s 3-pointer made it an 11-point game, 39-28.

“We came out running with them. We didn’t think we could, but we did,” Pungo coach Mart Benson said. “Then, natural attrition took over in the second half, but we had a great run.”

Messiah Barnes converted an and-1 opportunity to help the Knights end the half with six unanswered points. They took a 53-36 lead into the locker room, but Terra Ceia coach Roger Klaassen wasn’t too pleased with at the intermission.

“I told them that we’ve done absolutely nothing we’ve done all season,” he said. “We just weren’t playing well. We were chasing them. We allowed them to rebound because we were out of position. Offensively, we showed no patience and no understanding of how to make a good pass.”

Tyler Hendrix added, “Coach doesn’t usually yell at us. He yelled at us. We got our act together. It was mostly foul trouble. We’ve got to see how the refs are calling it.”

Hendrix was named the most valuable player of the tournament.

 

The message was well received. Terra Ceia scored 28 of the first 33 points in the second half. Barnes, Shaiquan Moore and Quentin Van Essendelft each hit triples during the overwhelming run. Barnes dunked in transition, then turned a steal into a layup shortly after. It gave the Knights an 81-41 lead to force a running clock.

“When the pressure gets on them, they understand. I guess it finally hits home,” Klaassen said. “They know how to play with fouls. They’ve played with fouls. They did an outstanding job.”

Noah Cahoon’s 3-point play highlighted a quiet final quarter for the Raiders. Terra Ceia now shifts its focus to the state playoffs, which should begin Tuesday.