Last time the Terra Ceia Knights faced a conference opponent, they were fighting for their lives in the Tarheel Independent Conference tournament championship game against the heavily favored Hobgood Raiders. Matched up beside the conference player of the year, Hobgood’s G.J. Mullins, it was Kyle Hendrix and a scrappy Knights offense that pulled off a comeback in the final quarter to take the championship.

The Knights were underdogs then. Now, it’s Kyle’s brother Tyler, a sophomore who spent the offseason growing from a small forward to a full-fledged paint presence, and a newfound, high-powered, fast-break offense looking to pick up right where they left off.

In the conference opener on Tuesday, it was Hobgood struggling to keep pace, as the Knights offense led the team to a near perfect 83-53 win.

“We base everything off our defense,” said head coach Roger Klaassen. “When we play strong defense, our offense flows from it. These guys have now played together through jayvee and here they are together again. They know each other. They see the floor and make those open passes. That’s all it takes.”

This was a statement win for a team looking to erase the underdog persona of yesteryear. And almost instantly, the undefeated Knights put their old identity to rest.

Led by the refined court vision and shooting ability of guards Quentin Van Essendelft and Austin Roscoe, Terra Ceia’s offense left no Hobgood uniform dry in the first quarter. The guards went 5-for-6 from behind the arch through the first eight minutes, which gave the team a 10-point cushion heading into the second quarter.

As the three-pointers kept falling, which drew defenders to the outside, center Chase Furlough and forward Wesley Butcher began to capitalize in the paint. And on top of a slew of missed free throws from Hobgood, Terra Ceia had amassed its largest halftime lead of the season, up 45-25.

“You can see in that first half, the way we shot the three ball. That helped,” Klaassen said. “This team, right now, we worked this summer at ECU team camp. They just believe and have bought into the system the whole nine yards. They go out and play their hearts out. We have the tools to keep it going.”

By the start of the third quarter, Van Essendelft and Roscoe had already hit double-digit points.

Taking their hands off the trigger, the guards began working it down low to Furlough and Hendrix, who both dominated the pant and reeled in rebounds, some their own. But off the bench, it was junior Ben Hubers who had the hottest hand of the night for a five-minute stretch. The 5-foot-4 point guard hit three-straight unanswered threes from distance on three-consecutive possessions, widening the gap to 30 points.

By the end of the third quarter, the Raiders, sweat soaking their traffic-cone orange uniforms, had expelled seemingly every ounce of energy and were looking up at a 72-38 deficit.

The lead gave Klaassen the opportunity to rest his starters in the fourth quarter. For a couple minutes, it was the Raiders who controlled the tempo, but the lead proved too large to surpass, mentally or physically.

“I told the guys before the game, this is what it’s about,” Klaassen said. “This is a statement game. I told them, let’s make sure they know the Terra Ceia Knights.”

Five players notched double-digit scoring for Terra Ceia — Hendrix (19), Roscoe (18), Van Essendelt (13), Hubers (13) and Furlough (11).

The Knights defense held Mullins to just 13 points, while Kevon Carter led all scorers with 26 points.

With the win, Terra Ceia improves to 4-0 this season and will host Greenville Christian Academy on Friday.