- -~ l I - - - t OPEN UP ... to rivalry rRr ivalry has always played a large part of the Academy 's longstanding athletic excellence . Over the past several years , the chief rivals in basketball have been Central Arkansas Christian and Pulaski Academy , the two other private schools in the Central Arkansas SA district. Despite the rivalry, friendships and dating relationships have developed between our students and the students from the rival schools. One of the best known of these was the friendship that existed between Harding Academy student Pat McGaha and C.A.C . student Reed Hayward. "At first we just knew who each other were. We'd respected each others' athletic ability for a few years , but we didn 't really get to know each other until one year at a basketball camp in Conway. " McGaha went on to discuss how the rivalry affected their friendship. "It 's never really been that big of a deal. I've never had anyone give me a hard time just because Reed goes to C.A.C. That first year at basketball camp, I knew he 'd be coming to Harding University's camp, so I asked him if he wanted to stay at our house. We've been good friends since then, and if other people don't like it - tough! " "No one ever gave me a hard time, because nobody knew I dated him, " replied Lisa Underwood when asked about former Pulaski Academy student Carter Brown. "It was two years ago, and the P .A. rivalry wasn 't in the basketball games then ; it was football, and football was what Carter played. At homecoming that year we played Pulaski Academy, and every other name that came over the speaker system was Car ter 's. In a sense, the rivalry did ·affect how McGaha and Hayward played in a Harding - C .A .C. match-up. "Our ultimate goal was to beat each other on our home courts and in front of the home crowds. "Jm Puttin' through for two. Senior Kenneth Shack elford comes th ro ugh w ith two po ints in the second game agains t Arkansas Schoo l fo r the Deaf. Th e game resulted in a vic tory fo r th e Wildcats , w ith a sco re o f 54-35. - pho to by Hernan Rivero /. Boy 's Basketball 323
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