CHAPEL HILL -- It took Paul Kieckbusch three years to find a breakthrough victory as head coach of the Chapel Hill boys' basketball team.

Anyone who watched the Tigers' victory over East Chapel Hill on Dec. 21 had to think he finally got it that night. His team had smooth guard play, several steady inside players and enough balance on offense to create a reliable inside-outside game.

The victory, Chapel Hill's first-ever at Wildcat Gymnasium, tied them with Southern Durham for the lead in the PAC-6 conference with a 2-0 start. At the time, it seemed that anything was possible for the Tigers, and that game was merely a start.

Trouble is, right now it looks like a finish, too.

Chapel Hill has lost eight of nine games since then, with its only victory coming against an overmatched Granville Central squad in a Burlington holiday tournament.

On Friday night, the Tigers concluded a miserable week with a 71-50 loss to Jordan (6-10, 3-4) at CHHS Gymnasium. K.J. Holmes led Jordan with 25 points, including 11 in the third quarter. Josh Morrison led the Tigers (5-11, 2-4) with only nine points.

The Tigers also suffered non-conference losses to Broughton (54-45) and Cedar Ridge (38-28) earlier in the week.

How did the fall occur so fast?

It started with injuries, which have killed the team's balance. The first victim was point guard Pete Singer, who had lingering back problems stemming from his stint as a free safety on the football team. His last healthy game was against East, and he hasn't played since.

But the most devastating was the loss of leading scorer Johnnie Burks, who suffered a knee injury on Jan. 4 against Southern Durham. It will likely keep him out for the season.

Chapel Hill's offense basically has been reduced to one guard with four forwards. And Jordan's three-guard lineup Friday night proved to be the worst match-up possible.

The Falcon backcourt of Holmes, Justin Watts and T.J. Thorpe combined for 45 points. Jordan roared out to a 14-0 lead, and CHHS spent the entire game fighting uphill, only occasionally whittling the gap down to single digits.

Kieckbusch became especially animated during a lackadaisical stretch in the third quarter when his team was out-hustled on several loose balls. He immediately called timeout and exploded in an intense lecture.

"We can't have guys taking plays off," said Kieckbusch. "Guys were just jogging down the floor. We just can't afford to be out-hustled at any time. We need to be intense and emotional."

After three games in four days, Chapel Hill won't play again until Friday at Roxboro Person. Later, the upcoming rematch with East could provide a stark contrast, indeed. The Wildcats defeated Northern Durham on Friday night, and are now tied with Southern Durham for the lead in the PAC-6 conference.

It was only three weeks ago that Chapel Hill had aspirations for a conference championship, and East was the team that was reeling. Now, the Tigers are the ones hoping for a new beginning, but time is running out.