The Hendersonville Rebels cup run ended last night at Big Lake Fieldhouse in front of 13,245 partisans. The Rebels advanced to the field of 64 for the time in club history but last night the Wilmington Tiger Sharks, the #23 team in the US, were too much for the Rebels despite a valiant effort and an energetic home crowd. The Rebels played well early and were up by one with 8 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter before the Tiger Sharks went on a run hitting 12 of 14 shots and opened up a 21-point lead at the half. Led by Harley "Chuck" Norris, and Ashley Captain Kirk, the Rebels mounted a furious 3rd quarter comeback in their never say die way, outscoring Wilmington 24-12 in the 3rd. After cutting the lead to 6 early in the 4th, the Tiger Sharks proved to have too much depth and talent and were able to stave off the Rebels to finish with the 100-92 victory and advance to the round of 32. Still GM Dale Brown was excited for the Rebels and praised the coaches and staff for a remarkable run and great game. Some notable Rebels, who played without stars The Proffit, Gunner Bunn, or Ross Marks, were Captain Krik who led the Rebels with 14 rebounds and also added 20 points on one of his biggest nights as a pro. The 19-year-old battled hard all night with some grizzled veterans on the T-Sharks squad. Chuck Norris led the Rebs with 27 points and was the catalyst for the 3rd quarter comeback. Moshe Skutt also pitched in with a double double 12 rebounds and 12 points. Veteran Tom Jarvis continued to struggle with this shooting going a woeful 5 for 19 for the night and was 2-12 to start the game, and coach Johnson did express some frustration with Jarvis and with recent addition Chris Bentley who finished the night shooting 0-5 and had only 4 assists, although he did chip in 9 rebounds. "We just need guys like Jarvis and Bentley to step up more in the backcourt when I can't play Di Stefano and Bunn and Marks. I need some more leadership out of the guys, and they need to get confident again. I understand sometimes the shots don't fall, but you gotta keep your head up and keep working hard." Johnson said.
The Rebels will now focus on finishing the regular season and trying to get a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Great 8, where they are currently in a 3-way tie for 4th place at 7-5. They play the Dodgers Prime to wrap up the first half of the season and then have two more non-conference games before starting back through the conference games. Brown and Johnson both feel good about the team's chances of making the playoffs and then, as Brown says, who knows what can happen once you get there. The Rebels were ranked #167 in the US as of today's rankings, their highest ranking in club history.
Jeff Cook
Sports desk
Hendersonville Banner News
Last edited by Rebs at 6/12/2026 2:28:36 PM