Sherwood, Terrell trade wins in Christmas Classic

ALBANY — Same nickname. Same floor. Two games that demanded patience, toughness and late composure.

Sherwood Christian School and Terrell Academy — both known as the Eagles — split a pair of tightly contested games Monday at the Deerfield-Windsor Christmas Classic, with Terrell Academy pulling out a 46-38 win in the girls’ game and Sherwood Christian responding with a 40-30 victory in the boys’ matchup.

The girls’ game featured momentum swings from start to finish. Terrell Academy appeared ready to take control in the second quarter when sophomore Natalie Oliver knocked down two three-pointers to help the Lady Eagles build a 25-12 lead. Sherwood Christian answered with its best stretch of the night, closing the half on a 10-0 run that cut the deficit to three.

That surge was sparked at the free-throw line by Julia Kendrick. Kendrick was fouled on a shooting attempt and then returned to the line again after a bench response resulted in a technical foul. She calmly sank all four free throws, sending Sherwood into halftime trailing just 25-22.

Terrell Academy regained momentum in the third quarter. When Sally Masters sliced through the defense for a layup, the Lady Eagles had stretched the lead to 36-23. Sherwood continued to battle but struggled to get shots to fall until Kendrick buried a late three-pointer. The comeback fell short as Terrell closed out the 46-38 win.

Masters led Terrell Academy with 22 points, while Oliver finished with 12. Kendrick paced Sherwood Christian with 17 points, and Aziah Harrison added 13.

“I was really proud of the effort we made,” said Kenny Roberts. “Terrell has a good team and I thought we played pretty well considering two of our girls were out sick.”

The boys’ game followed a similar arc, with Terrell Academy striking first before Sherwood Christian steadily took control.

Asher Crossin opened the scoring with a deep three-pointer, and Pace Cooling followed with back-to-back baskets in the paint as Terrell jumped out to a 9-4 lead and carried a 12-7 advantage into the end of the first quarter.

Sherwood settled in during the second quarter, tightening defensively and finding enough offense to pull even at 19-19 by halftime. The Eagles took command after the break, using hustle and defensive pressure to limit Terrell Academy to just 11 second-half points.

KJ Bevel led Sherwood with 11 points, while Tripp Roberts added eight. Cooling finished with a game-high 20 points for Terrell Academy.

“First of all, glory to God,” said Corey Eason. “We came out a little sluggish in the first quarter, but we made some quick adjustments and were able to fight our way back. The boys hustled and played hard, which led us to being able to pull out the win. I am proud of them.”