The Lions of Battlefield Parkway Christian Academy downed the visiting Eagles of Maryville Christian 52-41 Friday night at the Lions home gym in Ft. Oglethorpe.
After a slow start, the home standing Lions went on an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter to take a 27-13 halftime lead.
The lead grew to as many as 21 with one minute remaining in the third frame when Jared Hoskins stole the ball on the wing at mid court and threw down a one-handed dunk.
Then the Lions relied on their defense as they went cold, scoring two free throws over the next six and a half minutes. During their scoring drought, Maryville cut away at the lead and got to within 9 points. Adam Ambrosetti hit a three pointer, his only basket of the night, to put the lead back at double digits for the Lions, and they were never threatened the rest of the way.
In spite of the win, it was a rough night from the field for the home team. And the game got very physical at times. “They don’t put pictures on the score board, they put up numbers,” said BPCA coach Mark Oliver. “So we can play ugly all night long as long as we win.”
The win moved the Lions to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in TSCAA league play. The loss drops Maryville to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the TSCAA. BPCA will be back in action Monday against Cleveland Christian.
In the girls' game, the visiting Lady Eagles of Maryville Christian downed the Lady Lions of Battlefield Christian Academy. Using a 13-0 run to open the game, the Lady Eagles never looked back, claiming a 65-39 victory.
The visitors were led in a balanced scoring attack by Amy Milam with 19 points. But it was the hot hand of BPCA guard Marissa Lewis who turned heads, knocking down seven three pointers and scoring 29 points. Joining the double digit scorers were Amy Browning and Kristen Findley, both from Maryville, with 12 points each. Brown had two three pointers.
BPCA, which only dressed five players due to injuries, found itself down to four at one point in the first half, losing Brittany Torbett for a few minutes due to asthma. In a move that is almost unheard of, the Maryville coach, Rebecca Morris, asked the referee if she could play four of her players, instead of the usual five, in order to keep things competitive. Getting the nod from the official, Coach Morris pulled one of her girls out and the game went on four on four for about three minutes. When Torbett returned to the game, Coach Morris brought back her fifth player and the game went on as normal.
When asked about the move after the game, Coach Morris said, “We’re a Christian school, that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
The win leveled the Lady Eagles record on the young year to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Association. The Lady Lions dropped to 1-2 and 0-2. BPCA hosts Cleveland Christian this coming Monday.
Boys Scoring Summary:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| BPCA () | 8 | 19 | 18 | 7 | 52 |
| Maryville () | 4 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 41 |
BPCA: Maryville – Jason Housley 16, Ivens 8, Sellers 1, Fields 4, Grigsby 6, Thompson 2, Catchot 4, Stinnet, Evans, Wilder, Dodd.
3pts: |
Maryville: BPCA – Jared Hoskins 29, Ryan Ambrosetti 15, Harbin 5, Adam Ambrosetti 3, Elmendorf, Brown, Howard, Keeton, Poe.
3pts: |
Girls Scoring Summary:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Maryville () | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 65 |
| BPCA () | 8 | 1 | 16 | 14 | 39 |
Maryville: Maryville – Amy Milan 19, Amy Browning 12, Kristen Findley 12, Garner 4, Satterfield 2, Humphries 7, Adams 6, Henry 3.
3pts: Lewis 7 |
BPCA: BPCA – Marissa Lewis 29, Torbett 2, McKenzie 2, Fouts 6, Carter.
3pts: Browning 2 |