The varsity Crusaders — girls and boys — secured road wins against O’Neal School Tuesday night. The boys won a barn-burner, 52-51 while the girls blew out the home team 36-17.

Boys game

The Harrells boys played toe-to-toe with O’Neal throughout the evening, with the two teams trading leads as time ticked off the clock.

In the first quarter, Harrells jumped ahead slightly, ending the period up 10-8. The Crusaders increased their lead in the second period and managed to go into the half with a nice cushion, at 29-19.

But O’Neal wouldn’t go away, and they continued to fight their way back into the game. The Crusaders still had the lead at the end of the third period of play, at 37-32, but the home team was clawing their way to the breathtaking finish.

Zack Carlton led scoring for Harrells with 17 points. Also scoring was Graham DiPinto, 10 points; Chris Cannady, 10; Josh Driskill, 7; and John Wesley Hairr, 4.

Girls game

The Lady Crusaders had a much easier time with O’Neal’s girls, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead and never turning back. By the half, Harrells was up 22-4, and they kept adding to their lead.

Strong defense kept the home team at bay, while powerful offense allowed the Lady Crusaders to create turnovers that lead to buckets. By third quarter’s end, HCA was leading 32-8

Anna Huff and Haylee Parks led scoring for Harrells, with 8 each; Also scoring were Margaret Clark, 6 points; Bucky Everett, 7; Chloe Campbell, 3; Emily Benton, 2; and Regan Murphy, 2.

The Lady Crusaders move to 14-2 overall and 6-1 in conference.

Both teams play host to Cape Fear Academy Friday night.