Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By James J. Lidington

Isle of Wight Academy

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL

Freshman Antonio Harrell had 20 points and teammates Jason Chapman and Jackson Cofer each had 10 as the Isle of Wight Academy varsity boys basketball team triumphed over visiting Gateway Christian Academy 60-43 on Friday, Dec. 9.

Khalis Savage had 15 points for the Crusaders.

GCA was able to get no closer than nine points to the Chargers on the scoreboard after the first quarter. 

With the win, IWA raised its season record to 2-4. Gateway dropped to 2-5.

The Chargers lost to StoneBridge School 52-42 on Dec. 6.

With a long history of close games dating back to the Chargers’ tenure in the Metro Athletic Conference, IWA led the home team 38-34 with 6:26 to go in the Dec. 6 game. But a 20-3 run by StoneBridge over that same stretch led the home team to the win.

Denbigh Baptist Christian School avenged a loss earlier this season against the Chargers with a 45-38 win over IWA on Thursday, Dec. 8.

IWA led by a point, 24-23, with as little as two minutes left in the third quarter. But a 9-0 run over the next four minutes of the game put the Minutemen ahead for good.

Isle of Wight Academy opened its 2022-23 campaign with a 1-2 homestand, sustaining losses against Atlantic Shores Christian School and Williamsburg Christian Academy and achieving a victory against Denbigh Baptist Christian. 

IWA was without a scorer in double figures in an 89-32 loss to Shores on Dec. 2.

The Seahawks rattled off 21 of the first 23 points in the game and led 50-17 at halftime.

On Nov. 28, Harrell had 20 points in only his second varsity start, as IWA topped Denbigh Baptist Christian 55-44.

Teammate Grayson Brock added 10 points for IWA.

Harrell announced his arrival in a big way in his first varsity tilt, scoring 19 points in a 76-63 loss to Williamsburg Christian on Nov. 21.

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Lady Chargers basketball team went 3-0 during the week of Dec. 4-10, defeating StoneBridge 39-20 on Dec. 6; Denbigh 33-12 on Thursday, Dec. 8; and Gateway by a score of 37-13 on Friday, Dec. 9.

The IWA girls went 1-1 to start the season the week prior. They opened their year with a 39-28 win over visiting Denbigh on Nov. 28 and a closer-than-it-looks 53-21 home loss to Shores on Dec. 2.

The Lady Chargers (4-1) travel to play Portsmouth Christian School in a tournament on Friday, Dec. 16.

WATERFOWL FESTIVAL AND DUCK CALLING CONTEST

IWA’s inaugural Waterfowl Festival and Duck Calling Contest brought avian enthusiasts of all varieties to campus Dec. 10.

Vendors, live music and raffles were on tap for those in attendance.

The following won prizes in the highlight event, a duck-calling contest:

• Rylee Carpenter — first place in the Junior Division;
• Andrew George — first place in the Adult Division; and
• Zane Turner — second place in the Adult Division.

INDOOR TRACK

Four IWA runners competed in the first indoor track meet of the season.

Pierce Cutler and John Butler competed in the boys 1,600-meter race, with the former qualifying for the state track meet with a time of 4:57 and setting a new personal record. Butler finished with a time of 5:09 in the opener.

Senior Hannah Edwards ran the girls 500 meters with a state-qualifying time of 1:18, setting a new personal record and finishing first in the event.

Senior Hannah McClain ran in the girls 1,000 meters, finishing with a time of 3:41.

COMING UP

Friday, Dec. 16

• Basketball: Varsity girls/varsity boys at Portsmouth Christian, 3/6 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 17

• Basketball: Varsity girls/varsity boys at Portsmouth Christian, times TBA; middle school girls/boys at StoneBridge, 11:30 a.m./12:45 p.m.