After trailing most of the night, the Heritage Christian Academy Warriors led when it mattered the most Monday night in the opening round of the 8th District tournament. The Warriors got their usual big game from Jason Leek and then some important minutes from Sam Thompson and Jacob Morgan as HCA rallied to get past Fort Campbell 63-55.
The Warriors had their struggles from the field in the opening quarter, managing just three field goals. Meanwhile, the Falcons were attacking the basket and when not getting a shot to fall, they were at least drawing fouls from Heritage Christian. Fort Campbell shot six free throws in the first, making five of them as the Falcons took a 15-8 lead after the opening quarter.
Fort Campbell got a nice start from Tyreek Anthony, who tallied six points in the first. The Falcons also did a good job limiting the state’s leading scorer. HCA’s Jason Leek scored four in the quarter, and had to work hard to get those points on the board.
For most of the second quarter, things continued to roll Fort Campbell’s way. Led by Tyreek Anthony and Jamile Wilson, the Falcons pushed the lead out to 25-16 with just over three minutes to go in the half. Then, Jason Leek got going for the Warriors.
The senior took over for Heritage and ignited a 7-0 run that brought the Warriors to within 25-23 on a nice baseline move from Sam Thompson. The Falcons stemmed the tide in the final seconds of the half, scoring three quick points to give them a 28-23 lead at the half.
Free throws continued to be key for the Falcons as they continued to attack the basket and draw contact. Fort Campbell was 3 of 6 at the line in the second, making them 8 of 12 for the half.
After being limited to just four points in the first quarter, Jason Leek ended the half with 14 for Heritage Christian, while Tyreek Anthony led the Falcons with 12 points at the break.
Leek opened the second half with six straight points to give HCA its first lead since 2-0 at 29-28. Fort Campbell then had the perfect response to being behind for just the second time in the game.
With leading scorers Tyreek Anthony and Israel Dillard leading the charge, the Falcons ripped off an impressive 13-2 run to take a double-digit lead at 41-31.
But the Warriors just would not go away. A pair of threes from Jacob Morgan and a buzzer-beater three from Jason Leek helped to bring Heritage Christian to within 46-43 heading into the final 8 minutes.
After scoring the last six points of the third quarter, the Warriors opened the fourth quarter with an 11-1 run to take a 54-47 lead. The lead would be 58-51 inside the final two minutes and the Warriors appeared to be on their way. But the Falcons had one last run in them.
After getting away from what got them the lead early, the Falcons went back to attacking the basket and cut the HCA lead to 58-55 inside the final minute of play.
But the night would end up belonging to the Warriors. Jason Leek and Jacob Morgan combined to go 5 of 6 at the line to close out the game as the Warriors kept their winning streak alive over the Fort Campbell Falcons with the 8-point win.
Jason Leek was right at his average with 35 points to lead Heritage Christian. Sam Thompson, who was a huge factor on the board and on defense in the final quarter, also hit double figures with 10. Jacob Morgan added 8 crucial second half points for the Warriors.
Tyreek Anthony led four Falcons in double figures with 19 points. Jamile Wilson ended up with 13 points. Israel Dillard had 11 points, nine of them in the second half. Kingston Morton had one of his best games of the season with 10 points.
Heritage Christian improves to 11-17 on the season and has now won seven straight against Fort Campbell. The Warriors will face a stiff challenge Tuesday night in the semifinals as they take on the Hopkinsville Tigers. Hoptown won the only meeting between the two this season 91-51.
Fort Campbell wraps up the season at 3-25.
