A battle between two of best high school teams in the CSRA ended with a North Augusta 70-62 victory at Cross Creek on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
“It was just a really good high school basketball game,” said North Augusta High School Basketball Coach Tony Harrell. “It is sloppy early in the year, but two very good basketball teams and Cross Creek is going to go real deep this year and have an awesome squad. I am proud of my guys because in the first half we didn’t execute anything on offensively and in the second half I thought we got most of the shots we wanted.”
Both teams are coming off great seasons last year as North Augusta finished with a 26-2 record and made their first ever state championship appearance but lost to Landcaster 69-55.
The Yellowjackets aspire to make another state title run this season with returning seniors Jordan Rouse, Quh’mareon Webb, Toian Nabriat, Jordan Davis and other underclassmen.
“We are not a finished product, and we want to be a finished product late February early march,” Harrell said. “Our goal every day is to get a little bit better and we did that tonight.”
Cross Creek finished 2024-25 season with a 27-3 record before losing to the reigning AAA State Champions Sandy Creek in round three of the playoffs. The Razorbacks roster is filled with young talent including juniors Frashad Tisby, Derrick Shine Jr. and AJ Luke. Cross Creek also welcomed now seniors Grovetown transfer Ian Leverette and Westside Dontrell Jackson this offseason.
Rouse led North Augusta in Tuesday’s victory with 21 points as he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.
“Jordan came up with me as an eighth grader, so this is his fifth year with me,” Harrell said. “We have been through a lot of battles together. He got in a little foul trouble in the first half and I trust him to go back in late in the second quarter and we got on little run when I put back in and he took over in the second half.”
Jackson finished with 23 points for Cross Creek, leading all scorer in the loss.
Cross Creek will be back at home for their next game against Hephzibah on Thursday, Dec. 4. North Augusta will travel to play Blythewood on Saturday, Dec. 6. Both games tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
Sportswriter Christopher Rickerson is an Augusta University graduate who has covered area sports for publications including Augusta University‘s Bell Ringer, The Augusta Press and Augusta Good News. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News’ free weekly newsletter here.
