In the inaugural matchup between the programs on Thursday, the Christian County boys’ basketball team landed an early haymaker and never let up on the way to a 72-22 victory over visiting Heritage Christian Academy.
The Colonels used a stifling defensive performance to bottle up leading scorer Jason Leek and the Warriors, holding them to single digits in three quarters and their lowest-scoring game of the season.
Christian County led 6-0 before Layton Giltner hit one of two free throws to get the Warriors on the scoreboard, but the Colonels closed the quarter on an 11-0 run for a 17-1 advantage. Theo Quarles and Derrell Bateman combined for eight early points, and Prince Northington II added six.
Bateman took over in the second frame with 18 points, including a pair of corner three-pointers for a 31-3 Colonel lead. The high-flying senior followed with a pair of dunks in transition before HCA responded with a 9-2 run. Ja’Sean Riley drilled a three-pointer just ahead of the halftime buzzer to give the Colonels a commanding 40-12 advantage.
A 15-0 spurt to start the second half triggered a running clock, and Coach Toby Miles turned to his bench. Bateman led all scorers with 26, and Northington II also reached double figures with 12. Kam Williams scored four in the quarter, including a layup in the final seconds for a 61-15 score.
After only scoring two points in the first half, Leek scored four in the fourth to finish with nine, 14 below his season average. The Warriors slipped to 6-6 with their second loss in a row, 1-1 in district play.
Christian County put the brakes on a three-game losing streak to move to 7-9. The Colonels will spend the weekend in Indiana at Evansville Harrison to take part in the Warrior Showcase.
Heritage Christian 1 11 3 7 — 22
Christian County 17 23 21 11 — 72
Heritage Christian (6-6) — Leek 9, Giltner 6, Wells 3, Higgins 2, Simpson 2
Christian County (7-9) — Bateman 26, Northington II 12, Miles 8, Stevenson 6, Williams 6, Quarles 4, Jesse 3, Riley 3, Jackson 2, Wharton 2
