It was an atmosphere befitting an 8th District championship game. There was a packed house roaring inside Blazer Gym Friday night, and a group of people outside the gym, who did not go home, even after they found out they would not be allowed inside due to capacity limits.
And, while the game may not have been the most artistic to watch, it made up in intensity and tough, hard-nosed action on the court.
Christian County opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a lead they would not give up for the rest of the game as they knocked off the defending 2nd Region champion University Heights 48-42.
The 8-0 run, which was keyed by the play of Jordan Miles and JaSean Riley, gave Christian County a 29-22 lead. Gavin Grubbs and Cameron Brown would hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead to 29-28, but that would be as close as the Blazers would get in the third quarter, as Christian County took a 34-30 lead into the final eight minutes.
UHA would tie the game in the 4th quarter after a series of events that saw the Blazers called for a foul. Then, immediately after the foul, Christian County’s Derrell Batemen was assessed a technical foul for his reaction to the play. After all the free throws, Javion Brown made a 3-pointer to tie the game up at 38-38. But the Blazers would not get back to the lead.
Christian County scored six straight on baskets by Bateman, Breland Morrison, and K.J. Vaughn to take a 44-38 lead. From there, the Colonels were able to knock down enough free throws to hold on for the six-point win.
The finish of the game was much like the first half had been. UHA took an early 5-2 lead, only to see Christian County score nine straight. Gavin Grubbs and Elijah Walton sparked a UHA run that brought the Blazers to within 13-11 at the end of the opening quarter.
The second quarter saw the lead change hands three times. Javion Brown’s three-pointer late in the second quarter would enable the Blazers to take a 22-21 lead into the break.
Both teams had their issues with shooting and turnovers in the contest. Each team was over 20 in the turnover category, and both the Blazers and the Colonels had stretches where the ball just simply did not want to go through the basket.
Derrell Bateman was at the top of the Christian County scoring column with 16 points. Jordan Miles also hit double figures with 13.
UHA was paced by Gavin Grubbs, who finished the game with 15 points. Javion Brown added 8.
Christian County goes to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in district play. The win for the Colonels was the first at UHA since January 31, 2018. The Colonels are back in action Monday evening when they take on Louisville Central in the City of Hopkinsville Toyota Holiday Classic.
UHA falls to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the 8th District. The Blazers are also back in action Monday in the City of Hopkinsville Toyota Holiday Classic when they take on Bowling Green.
CCHS — 13 8 13 14 – 48
UHA — 11 11 8 12 – 42
Christian County (2-3) – Bateman 16, Miles 13, K.J. Vaughn 8, Morrison 7, Riley 4
UHA (2-4) – Grubbs 15, J. Brown 8, Northington 5, C. Brown 5, Walton 4, Quarles 4, Wallace 1
