But then, as Carrington said, "Chapel Hill showed why they're undefeated. They came out in the second half and just refused to lose."

The result was a 50-40 win for the Tigers in the Carolina Six 3A opener for both teams. Chapel Hill, then-No. 2 in The News & Observer rankings and now No. 1 statewide in the major 3A polls, came out of Raleigh with a 15-0 record overall. More importantly, the Tigers emerged 1-0 in Carolina 3A play.

The young Crusaders were 7-8, 0-1.

Despite having sophomore point guard Shawn Stankavage (a former St. Thomas More standout) and 6-7 junior post player Nick Holloway in first-half foul trouble, Cardinal Gibbons was able to control the tempo on offense and defend the Tigers enough to hold a 21-20 lead at intermission. Chapel Hill led 19-17 late in the half, but junior Patrick Domville's 3-pointer and free throw pushed the Crusaders into the lead.

"We got what you expect when you play Cardinal Gibbons," Chapel Hill coach Tod Morgan said. "It was a grind-it-out, possession-by-possession game. They run their sets and make you defend, the type game you have deep in the playoffs, where every possession counts."

The Tigers were able to take advantage of Crusaders turnovers to take a 37-32 lead into the final quarter.

"We're a good team, but we had the lapses you just can't have against a team like Chapel Hill," Carrington said. "We didn't play in the second half like we did in the first half. They just out-toughed us."

For the Tigers, senior guard Denzel Ingram, who averages 25.5 points, scored seven of his 18 during the fourth quarter. Anthony Vanhook, who averages 11 points, gave the Crusaders fits all game and scored 22.

"In the second half we played better defense, with Vanhook and Andrew Grant doing a nice job. The better defense got our offense going," Morgan said. "It's good to be 15-0, but the big thing is we're 1-0 in the conference."

Holloway, in limited minutes, led Gibbons with 10 points, followed by senior Jack Mitchell's eight, and Domville's seven.

"Domville's our leading scorer, but they did a good job defending him," Carrington said. "As a team, we just need to put together four good quarters."

CHAPEL HILL 50,

CARDINAL GIBBONS 40

Tuesday, Jan. 19, at Raleigh

CHAPEL HILL (15-0, 1-0)

Anthony Vanhook 22, Denzel Ingram 18, Elliot Orenstein 4, Andrew Grant 2, Stephen Himmelberg Jr. 2, Ryan Hegedus 2.

CARDINAL GIBBONS (7-8, 0-1)

Nick Holloway 10, Jack Mitchell 8, Patrick Domville 7, Trevor Zoruba 7, Austen Burnette 4, Justin Reid 2, Tim Nicolosi 1, Lewis Wright 1.