CCS's Will Patton takes it to the hole Friday night in their home win over Signal Mountain.
photo by www.ccspics.com
Chattanooga Christian’s Ryan Rhodes scored a game-high 14 points, made 6-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter and led the Chargers to a 52-42 District 7-AA high school basketball victory over visiting Signal Mountain on Friday night.
The Chargers (6-7, 2-1) went on a 17-5 to open a 35-24 lead late in the third quarter.
With that cushion, CCS coach David Conrady ordered his troops to slow the game down, forcing the Eagles to foul in an attempt to cut into their deficit.
While the strategy was sound, the Chargers made the Eagles pay, hitting 11-of-15 free throws in the final 6:58 of the game.
In addition to Rhodes six made free throws, Amos Corbett made 3-of-4 and Coleman Dirkse was 2-of-3. Will Patton missed twice.
“I think I’m one of the best free throw shooters in the county,” said Rhodes, a sophomore and two-year starter. “I struggled early in the year, but I’ve picked it up. This has to be one of our best games of the season shooting free throws.”
Chattanooga Christian went 19-of-33 from the stripe while Signal Mountain was 7-of-12 from the stripe. Two Eagles – Jack Teeter and Michael Cate – fouled out of the game.
Officials called a total of 39 fouls, 26 on Signal Mountain.
“In the third quarter we put a few things together, took the ball to the rim and made some things happen in transition,” Conrady said. “We’re blessed to have a good shooter (Rhodes) and guys that can run. I want the shooter shooting and the runners running.
“We got into the fourth quarter with a lead, slowed the ball down and forced Signal Mountain to foul us when they were already in foul trouble. We were in the bonus a lot of the fourth quarter.”
Signal Mountain coach Steven Redman was flat-out disappointed in his team’s performance.
“That was terrible,” he said. “We weren’t ready to play. Nobody stepped up to lead. We slept through the game and we just can’t do that. I don’t know why. I don’t have a clue. I kept thinking something would click, but it didn’t.”
The Eagles, losing for the first time in three district outings, trailed for most of a sloppily-played first half, but grabbed a 17-14 lead on Tadarius Hodge’s free throw. The Chargers’ Paul Fortmiller hit two free throws to cut Signal Mountain’s lead to 17-16 at halftime.
Signal Mountain was up 19-18 less than a minute into the third period, but Chattanooga Christian scored nine of the next 11 points to take a 27-21 advantage. The Chargers’ lead was 31-22 after Fortmiller made a free throw and Patton made a field goal.
The Eagles countered with a bucket, but Patton hit 2-of-4 free throws and Ben Moore made a pair and the Chargers stretched the margin to 35-24.
Teeter made two free throws and Griffin Palmer, who finished with 13 points, converted a CCS turnover into a bucket and the Chargers trailed 35-28 heading into the final quarter.
The Chargers didn’t make a field goal until Fortmiller dropped in a layup with 2:26 remaining, but CCS’s lead was still 10 points. Patton, who closed with 13 points, hit a layup off a Rhodes assist and Dirkse’s free throw gave CCS a 49-36 lead with 1:50 on the clock.
Dirkse started the final period with a three-point play, Corbett and Rhodes each made two free throws and Rhodes connected twice just ahead of Fortmiller’s layup.
“I felt confident at the line all night,” Rhodes said. “Coach Conrady reassures me every time I go up there. He says, ‘Ryan I’d rather have you shooting free throws than anybody in this gym.’ ”
Teeter scored 10 points before fouling out with 6:40 left in the game. He picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in an 18-second span. Cate fouled out at the 5:26 mark.
Signal Mountain girls 58, Chattanooga Christian 33: Aryn Sanders poured in a game-high 24 points to lead the Lady Eagles, 10 points coming in the third quarter and 16 in the second half.
Brooke Whitmire tossed in 11 points, including all three of the Lady Eagles’ 3-pointers, and Janie Boals added 10 points.
After scoring just two points in the first half, Chattanooga Christian’s Joanna Smith put up four in the third period and nine more in the final eight minutes to finish with a team-high 15 points.
The Lady Chargers’ 18 fourth-quarter points were three more than they scored in the game’s first 24 minutes.
Scoring Summaries
Boys Game
Signal Mountain 5 12 11 14 – 42
Chattanooga Christian 11 5 19 17 – 52
Signal Mountain (42) – Cate, Reese, McCullum 2, Van Dyken, Heinteven 4, Vatter, R. McCaffery 5, Griffin Palmer 13, Murphy 2, Jack Teeter 10, Hodge 3, Wicker 3, K. McCaffery.
Chattanooga Christian (52) – Vincent 3, Fortmiller 9, Ryan Rhodes 14, Moore 2, Dirkse 4, Corbett 7, Will Patton 13, Fulmer.
3-Point Goals – Signal Mountain 5 (Palmer 3, Teeter 2), Chattanooga Christian 3 (Rhodes 2, Vincent 1).
Girls Game
Signal Mountain 15 13 17 13 –58
Chattanooga Christian 4 2 9 18 – 33
Signal Mountain (58) – Peterson, Brooke Whitmire 11, Aryn Sanders 24, Bledsoe 4, Gravitt, Janie Boals 10, Heisser, Rackel, McGowan 8, Witherspoon 1.
Chattanooga Christian (33) – Pruitt, Henry 6, Dirkse 4, Van Horn, R. Faxlett, S. Faxlett 2, Fischer 4, Joanna Smith 15, Stimart, Huesman, Fikkert, Royer 2.
3-Point Goals – Signal Mountain 3 (Whitmire 3), Chattanooga Christian 1 (Henry 1).
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)