The Christian County boys basketball team continued its strong play down the stretch of the regular season on Tuesday, surging in front in the third quarter and holding off Owensboro in the final seconds for a 58-56 victory.
The Colonels won for the fifth time in their last six outings to improve to 12-15 while handing Owensboro a fourth straight loss to leave the Red Devils at 11-12.
Owensboro led 10-2 after Michael Acton’s pull-up jumper with 3:35 left in the opening quarter, but the Colonels answered with a 9-0 run capped by a Prince Northington II layup to move in front by a point.
Dayshaun Sanders caught fire for 10 points in the second for Owensboro, and his three put the Red Devils up 23-17 midway through the quarter. Owensboro pushed the margin to seven after Keaton Hughes finished an eight-point quarter with a pair of free throws. But Derrell Bateman gave the Colonels some momentum going into the break, scoring and drawing a foul before putting back his free-throw miss to cut it to 34-31.
Christian County used an 11-2 run to take control in the second half and led 42-36 after Jordan Miles scored in the lane. Owensboro scored five straight with a minute left in the third before Bateman knocked down a jumper for a three-point edge with a quarter to play.
With 4:45 left, Miles connected from behind the arc to put the Colonels in a commanding position with a nine-point cushion. But the Red Devils weren’t going away just yet, reeling off an 11-3 spurt to pull within a point. Christian County couldn’t put it away at the foul line, going 1/4 to give the Red Devils the ball with a chance to tie or win with three seconds left. Owensboro drew up a three-point look for Acton, but his heavily contested shot bounced off to end the game.
Bateman fouled out late in the fourth, but not before posting 21 points to lead all scorers. Miles finished with 14, and Ja’Sean Riley joined them in double figures with 12 for the Colonels.
Despite being glued to the bench with foul trouble throughout the third quarter, Hughes led Owensboro with 19. Sanders finished with 18, and Acton added 12.
Owensboro 14 20 9 13 — 56
Christian County 13 18 15 12 — 58
Owensboro (11-12) — Hughes 19, Sanders 18, Acton 12, Green 4, Hume 3, Rickard 2
Christian County (12-15) — Bateman 21, Miles 14, Riley 12, Northington II 9, Bigbee 2
