Chargers Claim District Crown in Clutch 39-33 Thriller

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.</em> — In a high-stakes, defense-first showdown that lived up to every bit of its billing, the Albuquerque Academy Chargers outlasted the Hope Christian Huskies 39-33 on Monday, February 23, at neutral-site Bernalillo High School. The regular-season District 6-4A tiebreaker decided the outright champion, with massive playoff seeding implications hanging in the balance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams entered at 7-1 in district play — the Chargers sporting a 21-5 overall record under head coach Joshua Skarsgard, and the Huskies at 22-4 under Michael Cole. The season series was split: Academy took the first meeting 56-41 on Jan. 23, while Hope Christian retaliated with a gritty 38-34 win on Feb. 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one was a fight from the opening tip. The Huskies controlled the early tempo, jumping to a 5-0 lead and carrying a 9-2 advantage after the first quarter. A late three-pointer pushed their margin to nine, and they took a 26-17 halftime lead into the locker room.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But the Chargers flipped the script in the third, clamping down defensively and outscoring Hope Christian 12-4 to pull within one at 30-29 heading into the fourth. The final frame delivered pure drama: the teams traded threes to knot things at 33-33 with 4:04 left. Then came the dagger — junior Olivia Hammond, off the bench and red-hot, drained a huge three-pointer to put Academy ahead 36-33 with 3:38 remaining.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hope Christian had three prime looks from beyond the arc in the final minute, but none fell. The Chargers sealed it at the line, going 3-of-4 from the free-throw stripe to ice the 39-33 victory and claim the 2025-26 regular-season 4A District 6 championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='839425' first='Harper' last='Dunn'], the No. 1-ranked player in her class, led the Chargers with 11 points — seven in the decisive second half. The 6'6" force was a nightmare on both ends: erasing shots at the rim, dominating the glass, and powering home putbacks off offensive rebounds. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1068212' first='Lily' last='Skarsgard'] added 10 points despite early foul trouble, battling through contact all night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Off the bench, Hammond was the X-factor and arguably the game MVP. Her outside stroke provided the perfect spark, netting all seven of her points in the final 12 minutes — including the go-ahead triple that swung momentum for good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the Huskies, senior [player_tooltip player_id='648212' first='Mia' last='Bishop'] carried the load with a game-high 14 points. The 6'1" interior force was brilliant in the paint, battling Dunn toe-to-toe, rejecting shots, and finishing with a soft touch around the rim. She was the only Hope Christian player in double figures, doing everything she could to keep her team within striking distance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the end, Academy's resilience, timely shooting, and defensive grit proved the difference in this low-scoring classic. The Chargers now head into the postseason as district champs — poised and battle-tested.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->