Steve Dunford – franklincounty-news.com
WEST FRANKFORT IL – The Christopher Bearcats dropped the seventh place game of the West Frankfort Mid Winter Classic, to the Anna Jonesboro Wildcats 53-48.
The Bearcats roared out to an 11-6 lead at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter before Anna-Jonesboro coach Mike Chamness calls a time out. The Wildcats change from going to playing a 2-3 zone from playing man to man. A-J began to kill Christopher on the boards, and out rebounded them for the game 29-18. The differential was 13-5 at half-time.
Anna-Jonesboro scores the last five points of the quarter and both teams were tied at 11. The Wildcats came out and Logan Sawyer hit a 15 foot Jumper out of the huddle to go up 13-11 and they never relinquished the lead. Sawyer had twelve points and seven rebounds on the afternoon.
Jake Parr dominated the game on both ends of the floor in the second quarter as he had a game high 19 points and tied for the game high lead of nine rebounds. The Wildcats had the lead at halftime 29-25.
The teams trade baskets for a while and Jordan Zimmerman hits a big three to put Anna-Jonesboro up 38-27 to cap off a big rally by them just over the four minute mark.
Christopher coach Eric Stallman calls a time out and goes to a 3/4 court press. A-J struggles with it. Zack Snell buries a 22 foot baseline jumper at the close of the quarter to cut the Bearcat deficit to six, 40-34 after three.
Jared Curry has three big coast to coast drives in the fourth and the Bearcats keep hanging around. Curry had a game high 14 points on the afternoon, eight in the fourth quarter. He also had nine rebounds. He found Gabe Schimpf twice as well, on a couple run outs. Schimpf led the way with four assists and had 11 points. Kaeleb Pedigo was the third Bearcat in double figures with 10 points.
The Bearcats cut it to a one possession game on a few occasions down the stretch. A-J hit their free throws down the stretch, to ice the victory away.
The Bearcats (11-8) have two tough BDC West road tests in front of them this week, as they go to Chester on Tuesday and down to the Eagles Nest in Vienna on Friday.
Anna Jonesboro (7-13) makes the long trip up Route 127 Friday night to play the Nashville Hornets, and will make the return trip to Max Morris Gym on Saturday night to face the Redbirds.
I would like to give a shout out to a couple people from Anna. Coach Mike Chamness has always been very accessible and just a good guy to talk HS basketball with. Moury Bass, owner of WIBH-AM 1440. of Anna, always has kind and encouraging words to pass along to me. One of my highlights of the Midwinter Classic is being around these two men.
BOX SCORE:
ANNA-JONESBORO (53) Parr 7 0 5-7 19; Sawyer 6 0 0-0 12; Zimmerman 6 0 0-0 12; McGrath 0 0 4-6 4; Renyolds 0 1 0-1 3; Pinnon 0 0 2-2 2; Pena 0 0 1-2 1; Gillis 0 0 0-0 0; McFarland 0 0 0-0 0
CHRISTOHPER (49) Curry 5 0 4-4 14; Schimpf 3 1 2-2 11; Pedigo 2 2 0-2 10; Young 4 0 0-0 8; Snell 1 0 0-0 3; Pratt 1 0 0-0 2; Motsinger 0 0 0-0 0
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
ANNA-JONESBORO 11 18 11 13 – 53
CHRISTOPHER 11 18 9 14 – 48
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