MONROE — The scoreboard read 68-32 when the Cuthbertson students rushed the court Friday night after the final second ticked away, but history will record the first victory in the school’s history as 70-32 over visiting Union Academy.

The missing points came in a flurry of scoring at the start of the second half when Mike Cuthbertson scored eight of his game-high 22 points. The Cavaliers scored the first 14 points of the third quarter and turned a 32-23 halftime lead into a blowout.

“It’s exciting,” Cuthbertson coach Mike Helms said. “We talked about that in pregrame. Whatever happens here, you’ll always be the first team in school history and you’ll be playing the first game in school history. And it’ll be a whole lot sweeter if we make it a win.”

Cuthbertson, a 6-5 junior, also finished with a game-high nine rebounds, despite not playing the fourth quarter.

“Mike has unlimited potential. He’s our most experienced player,” Helms said. “He’s a kid that we want to go to and just ride him a little bit. We’re excited about him fulfilling all that potential that he has. He’s a good player right now, but he can be a better player. He knows it. He’s working. He’s going to get there.”

The Cardinals (0-2) stayed with Cavaliers (1-0) in the first half but were outscored 23-5 in the third quarter and 15-4 in the fourth quarter. Point guard Emmitt Afam, a freshman, directed the attack, finishing with seven points and eight assists.

“When you shoot 3 for 28 in the second half, you’re not going to win,” Union Academy coach Justin Johannes said. “First half we shot 55 percent, and we’re in the game. The kids put out the effort. We’ve had one day of practice as a team because of football. It’s not for lack of effort. When we start executing and work together as a team, we’ll get better.”

UA girls win opener

Erin Walters scored nine of her game-high 14 points in the second half Friday night to lead visiting Union Academy past Cuthbertson 33-24.

Walters, a 6-foot-2 center, dominated inside, and the Cardinals (1-1) made more of an effort to get her the ball in the second half and it paid off. Even when the Cavaliers (0-1) fouled her underneath, Walters still scored, hitting all eight of her free throws. She also finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.

“We tried to pack it in on her,” Cuthbertson coach David Daniels said. “I watched her play (Thursday) night and realized a lot of stuff goes through her, so our game plan was to try to put one in front and one behind her, make them beat us from outside and not let her beat us. I think my girls did a pretty good job of it, but she killed us from the line.”

Cuthbertson’s game plan came as no surprise to Cardinals coach Tom Cripe, and he had his team play to its strength.

“That’s our main focus to work the ball inside, because she’s our main threat,” Cripe said. “She’s very difficult to handle down there.”

Cuthbertson led 20-19 after three quarters, and the score was tied at 22 with 6:08 to play. But Walters scored the next five points to give the Cardinals the lead for good.

Guard Kendall Cox added seven points for Union Academy, and Sydney Sebastian led Cuthbertson with seven points.