Fikkert Leads Comeback As CCS Beats Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, 53-40

Big Man Records Another Double-Double As Chargers Overcome Slow Start

  • Friday, November 29, 2013
  • John Hunt

Chattanooga Christian coach Jim Arnold wasn't real crazy about the way his Chargers let a double-digit lead get away against Red Bank on Tuesday night and he was even less happy about the way Friday night's game with the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Warriors began, but he was happy and smiling when the final buzzer sounded.

The Chargers only scored two points in the first 5:35 of the game as LFO bolted to a 16-2 lead, but on the other end of the spectrum, CCS held the Warriors scoreless in the final 5:53 of the game as they used a 10-0 run in that span to secure a 53-40 victory.

All of this took place in the Chargers Thanksgiving Classic, a round-robin tournament involving teams from Red Bank, Silverdale, LFO and CCS. 

Nobody got swept on the second day of action as Silverdale's girls raced to a 22-4 lead en route to a 48-21 win over Red Bank in the first game of the day.  Emily Harkleroad scored 13 points to lead the unbeaten Lady Seahawks (6-0) while Danielle Usher topped the Lionettes with 10.

The Red Bank boys used a 29-9 difference in the second quarter as a springboard to an 80-60 victory over Silverdale as Kobe Suttles and Will Davis set the pace for the winners with 19 and 17 points, respectively.  Traydell Autry and Malik Davis were next with 10 each while Johnny Goodman scored nine. 

Nathan Keylon scored 18 points to lead Silverdale while teammates Avery Bogess and Jordan Delashmitt were also in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively.  Tristan Huggins and Grant Marshall both followed with nine.

The LFO girls raced to a 13-3 first-quarter lead and played stingy defense the rest of the way as they prevailed over the CCS girls by a 33-20 final.  Abbi Mabry scored 13 points and Savannah Franklin 11 for the Lady Warriors while Hannah Henry was tops for the Lady Chargers with eight points.

The tournament will conclude with four more games on Saturday with Red Bank facing Lakeview at 3 and 4:30.  CCS and Silverdale follow at 6 and 7:30 with the girls game being played first in both matchups.

CCS boys 53, LFO 40:  Arnold was so disappointed with his starting five that he replaced them all following a timeout just three minutes into the game and his team already trailing 9-2.

Second-teamers John Alston, Paul Fortmiller, Austin Mansell, Coleman Dirkse and Jonathan Farlett got the bleeding stopped as Dirkse's bucket from the baseline making it 16-4 with 2:08 left in the first quarter.

Big Josh Fikkert, the biggest man on the court at 6-8, cut the lead to 18-9 with a nice three-point play with 10 seconds left and and that was the difference when the quarter ended.

Coe Crawford bagged a 3 from the wing to give the Warriors a 25-16 lead with 4:32 showing before the half, but the Chargers went on a 9-0 run the rest of the quarter and knotted the score at the break following a free throw by Andrew Card with 26 seconds remaining.

Ryan Rhodes sank the first of three 3-pointers to start the second half as the Chargers took the lead for the first time before Zack Powers scored on a layup to cut the difference to one.

Fikkert sank the first of two free throws before Rhodes scored on a putback and a 3 as the Chargers had a seven-point edge at 34-27 with 3:49 left in the third.

Ryan Keefe and J.J.

Johnson both wrapped a 3 around a putback by Zac Cagle as LFO had its final lead at 35-34 with 11 seconds to go, but Jonathan Farlett scored on a putback at the buzzer to give CCS the lead for the last time.

Tristan Evans converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way with 5:53 to play as LFO got to within 43-40, but the Warriors didn't score again as CCS pulled away for its third win with the 10-0 run at the end.

LFO coach Wayne Weaver liked the start, but not the finish as his Warriors evened their record at 2-2.

"They were able to adjust to our defensive pressure early, but we did a terrible job of running our offense.  They made some adjustments and we just weren't able to score and we couldn't guard their big man," Weaver commented about Fikkert, who finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

"We had to take too many chances and we got into foul trouble, but our execution was poor on the offensive end," he added.

It was the other way around for Arnold.

"I was really frustrated with our starters as we looked lethargic and slow at the start of the game.  That's when I replaced them with our second five and things started to turn around.  We don't play like that and we certainly don't practice like that, but we just weren't playing with any passion in the first quarter.

"We were close to getting run out of our own gym, but that second group changed the flow of the game.  We had 13 turnovers in the first half and only three in the second, so we did much better in the second half.

"We knew we had the size advantage inside and we wanted them to have to defend Fikkert.  He's a really good player with some outstanding skills and he really came on after that slow start.  I got on him pretty hard during a timeout, but he responded like I hoped he would," Arnold praised his big man who is one of eight seniors on the team.

Fikkert finished with 19 points to lead both teams while Rhodes followed with 18.

Oliver was tops for LFO as he finished with eight points while Alec Rattanaxay, Johnson and Evans all followed with seven points apiece.

The Chargers also had a 32-23 rebounding edge with Fikkert's 15 leading the way for the winners.  Rhodes snagged five.

Rattanaxay, Johnson, Evans, Powers and Cagle all had three caroms for the Warriors.

GIRLS SUMMARIES

RED BANK 4 6 6 5 -- 21

SILVERDALE  22 9 13 4 -- 48

RED BANK (21) -- Brown 1, Jackson 2, Usher 10, Maddox 4, Simpson 4, Haymon, Cotton.

SILVERDALE (48) -- Smith 2, Lewis 7, Woodard 3, Sims 6, Skelton 4, Harkleroad 13, Sanders 4, White 3, Ray 2, Boggess 4, Davis, Chambers, Ervin, Durability.

LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE   13  7  10  3  --  33

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN             3  4  8  5  --  20

LFO (33) -- Shelby 3, Mabry 13, Franklin 11, Oliver 4, Henry 2.

CCS (20) -- Hughes 2, Delashmitt, Henry 8, Loyal 3, R. Farlett, S. Farlett 1, Balch, Smith 4, Kelly 2, Dirkse.

3-POINT GOALS: LFO 3 (Franklin 3); CCS none.

BOYS SUMMARIES

RED BANK     12  29  21  18  --  80

SILVERDALE   10  9  23  18  --  60

RED BANK (80) -- Suttles 19, Beavers 6, M. Davis 10, W. Davis 17, Pittman 3, Autry 10, Goodman 9, Walker, McGee 3, Spearman 3.

SILVERDALE (60) -- Delashmitt 10, Keylon 18, Bogess 14, Huggins 9, Marshall 9.

3-POINT GOALS: Red Bank 7 (Suttles 3, M. Davis, W. Davis, McGee, Spearman); Silverdale 4 (Delashmitt, Keylon 2, Huggins.)

LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE   18  7  10  5  --  40

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN             9  16  11  17  --  53

LFO (40) -- Rattanaxay 7, Johnson 7, Keefe 3, Evans 7, Crawford 3, Powers 3, Fitzsimmons, Oliver 8, Cagle 2, Pinkston.

CCS (53) -- Matthews 7, Rhodes 18, Jones, Card 3, Fikkert 19, Alston, Fortmiller 2, Mansell, Dirkse 2, Baker, Aldridge, Farlett 2.

3-POINT GOALS: LFO 5 (Rattanaxay, Johnson, Keefe, Crawford, Powers); CCS 5 (Matthews 2, Rhodes 3).

(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)

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