A 15-0 run in the second half broke a 48-48 deadlock, and sent Christian County on its way to a 79-71 victory at Caldwell County Friday night.
Caldwell led for much of the first half in its Senior Night game at the CAB gym in Princeton.
However, Christian (7-11) surged ahead 38-36 at halftime.
Still a tight game late in the third quarter, the Colonels’ full-court pressure began to have an impact on the Tigers.
Christian scored the final 13 points of the third quarter, then got the opening basket of the fourth period to go up 63-48 as the Tigers struggled with turnovers.
Caldwell (11-10) righted the ship and battled back to within 67-63 midway through the final frame.
But that’s as close as the Tigers could get down the stretch as the Colonels held on to end a six-game losing skid.
Darren Bigbee and Jayovontae Henderson each tallied 18 points to lead Christian. Rahsean Stevenson had 14 points and Josh Bridges finished with 12.
Caldwell got 22 points from Pax Aikins. Daelyn Lander added 19 while senior Jack Roach had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tigers stayed in the game with 12 3-pointers. Aikins and Lander each buried four shots from behind the arc.
Christian has taken 11 of the last 12 games between the two schools. The all-time series shows the Colonels with a 46-9 lead.
Christian returns to its home court on Tuesday to face Muhlenberg County.
Caldwell, which had a three-game winning streak snapped, will play at home again on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Bowling Green.
Christian County 17 21 23 18 — 79
Caldwell County 18 18 12 23 — 71
Christian County (7-11)—Bigbee 18, Henderson 18, Stevenson 14, Bridges 12, Pollard 7, Whorton 6, Johnson 2, Farley 2.
Caldwell County (11-10)—Aikins 22, Lander 19, Roach 18, K. Wilson 6, D. Wilson 4, Mitchell 2.
