CARTHAGE, Mo. — For the first time in program history, a boys basketball team from College Heights Christian is in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.
College Heights never trailed on the way to a 54-43 victory over Blue Eye on Wednesday night in a Class 2 sectional at Carthage High School.
“We made history and hopefully we’ll keep making history,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said. “The team played well. We had some spurts in the third quarter. We knew they were a good team, and we knew they’d hit some shots. Our kids played well. Getting up early on them helped. They had to play catch-up.”
Fifth-ranked College Heights (24-4) will meet top-ranked Norwood (28-1) at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday in the state quarterfinals at Republic High School.
The Cougars lost in the sectional round last year in their first-ever trip to the state tourney. This time around, the Cougars were more than ready for the experience.
“Last year’s game helped us big time,” Johnson said. “We came here last year and didn’t know what to expect. They might have been intimidated. This year, we knew what it’s like.”
Now, the Cougars are heading into uncharted territory—one win away from the Final Four.
“This is the first time in school history winning sectionals, so this feels great and I’m so proud of my teammates,” College Heights senior guard Miller Long said. “This feels awesome. But no one on our team is satisfied yet. We’re ready to go all the way.”
Long said he and his teammates were determined to go further in the postseason this year.
“All of us put in the work over the summer,” Long said. “We’re more confident. We know we’re better this year. We play like it too.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
The Cougars have now won six straight and 12 of their last 13.
The 6-foot-3 Long paced College Heights with 23 points. He hit three 3-pointers, five 2-pointers and four free throws.
Junior forward Curtis Davenport scored 10 points for CHC, while senior forward Hagen Beck added eight. Senior point guard Ethan Adel and 6-7 senior forward Ethan Meeks contributed six points apiece.
Blue Eye ends the season at 23-5.
Lance Clark scored 17 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Isaiah Mitchell added 10 and Logan Isbell had nine.
GAME RECAP
A trey from Long gave College Heights an 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Cougars took a 10-point lead at 24-14 after two treys from Long, a free throw from Caleb Quade, a putback by Long and two hoops inside by the 6-4 Beck.
College Heights’ halftime advantage was 24-16.
The Cougars were clinging to a six-point cushion in the third period when they finished the frame on a 7-2 run for a 35-24 lead.
College Heights separated further by starting the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run. During the game-changing surge, Long scored seven points, while Adel and Davenport added hoops.
Long’s final hoop of the night, a strong drive through the lane, gave College Heights a commanding 20-point lead at 46-26 with just over four minutes to play.
The Bulldogs showed some fight down the stretch. Blue Eye used a 12-4 run to pull within 12 at 50-38.
The Bulldogs cut their deficit down to nine late in the game, but the Cougars received two free throws from both Davenport and Long that all but sealed the win.
“We just had to keep reminding our kids to play good defense and contain their shooters,” Johnson said. “And if you want to win big games, you have to make free throws and rebound. We’ll celebrate tonight, but then we’ll get back to work and prepare for Saturday.”
