The Christian County boys’ basketball team advanced to the 8th District championship game on Thursday, knocking off Fort Campbell 85-46 on Monday night in Colonel Gym. The Colonels have won ten straight, improving to 20-6 overall, while Fort Campbell has a two-game win streak snapped to finish the year 6-19.
Senior forward Detorrion Ware scored 8 points to lead the Colonels to a 12-4 lead just two minutes into the game. Senior forward Denoris Buchanan scored to pull the Falcons within 4 at 12-8, but the Colonels scored the next 13, capped by a Ware three pointer, to lead 25-8 with 1:54 left in the opening quarter. Junior forward Cameron Johnson and sophomore Andrew Syester scored 4 each to cut the Colonel lead to 27-16, but a Ware steal and lay-in at the buzzer made the score 29-16.
The Colonels opened the second quarter with a 15-2 run to blow the game open at 44-18 with 4:48 until halftime. Ware hit two threes, with a triple from Falcon sophomore forward Nathan Lake in between, and the lead was 53-21. Ware closed the half with two dunks, the Falcons got a three pointer from senior forward Ryan Sollom, and the Colonels took a 64-28 lead into the break.
Ware outscored the Falcons on his own, totaling 31 first-half points, followed by junior forward Eric Brody with 8, and senior forward Kolbe Langhi with 7. Johnson led the Falcons with 10, with Syester and sophomore forward Jordan Clark with 4 each.
Langhi began the third quarter with 4 points, before he and the rest of the starters were substituted out for good leading 68-30 with 6:28 left in the frame. The Colonels would outscore the Falcons 12-9, and led 76-37 with one quarter to play. Early in the fourth quarter, the Falcons’ starters went to their bench as well, and the two teams would both only score 9 points over the last eight minutes of the 85-46 Colonel win.
Ware’s 31, all in the first half, led all scorers, followed by Langhi with 11, and Brody with 10. Senior guard Cory Trice finished with 8, senior forward JaQuon Long had 7, and sophomore guard Damikeon Mathis and sophomore Shay Stowe both scored 5. Junior forward Fred Tandy scored 4, and junior guard DT Babb and sophomore forward Kobe Dillard both had a basket.
Johnson was the only Falcon in double figures with 1, followed by Clark and Syester with 6 each. Buchanan and senior guard Julian Roberts both scored 4, with Lake, Sollom, and freshman guard Marcus Averhart each hitting a three pointer. Junior guard Jaylen Allen and senior guard Austin Mergele both chipped in 2 points.
The Colonels will take the floor in Colonel Gym Thursday against the winner of Tuesday night’s semifinal between Hopkinsville and UHA. Christian County won both regular-season meetings with the Tigers and the Blazers.
