Maybe, just maybe, a new rivalry was born on the basketball court Monday night. With a near-packed house on hand, University Heights fended off a furious 4th quarter rally from Heritage Christian and picked up a 59-50 win in Blazer Gym.
Led by the efforts of Carlos Robles, the Warriors battled from 15 points down early in the 4th quarter to get within four points at 49-45 with less than four minutes to go. Robles scored 11 of his 19 points as HCA was making the push to get back in the game.
But four was as close as the Warriors would get on this night. Gavin Grubbs came up with five big points down the stretch as UHA would turn back the upset bid from the team on Eagle Way.
While it was Grubbs that helped seal the win late, the play of junior Javion Brown may have pulled the Blazers’ collective backsides out of the fire against the Warriors. Brown finished the game with 18 points, 12 of them coming in the second half of play.
Early on, it appeared the Warriors may have been a bit over-anxious for the chance to tangle with the Blazers. HCA, at times early in the game, played a bit faster than they really wanted to go, leading to early turnover issues. University Heights was able to convert those into a 17-8 first-quarter lead.
The Warriors stood their own on the boards in the early going, and that helped keep HCA within shouting distance. Weston Powell would be a big factor in the paint for Heritage.
Still, with Gavin Grubbs and Javion Brown leading the way, the Blazers were able to extend the lead to 32-18 going into the locker room at the break.
HCA would cut the lead to as close as ten points twice in the third quarter. Each time the Blazers responded. UHA would end up leading 45-32 heading into the final eight minutes, setting the stage for the exciting final quarter.
Gavin Grubbs led the Blazers with 19 points on the night. Javion Brown added 18. Lemar Northington just missed double figures with 9.
For HCA, Carlos Robles ended the game with 19. Weston Powell chipped in with 9 for the Warriors.
HCA — 8 10 14 18 – 50
UHA — 17 15 13 14 – 59
Heritage Christian – Robles 19, Powell 9, Yates 7, Willis 6, Hayes 5, Folz 2, Leek 2
University Heights – Grubbs 19, J. Brown 18, Northington 9, Quarles 5, Thomas 4, Wallace 2, C. Brown 2
