SV wins conference match up against Christopher

Eric Stallman’s Christopher Bearcats had their five game winning streak stopped when they went north to Sesser-Valier and lost a hard fought Black Diamond Conference game 49-48 Friday night.

Kevin Merck’s scored at the 6:13 mark for a Cats 2-0 lead as the Bearcats didn’t score again for four minutes until junior Eric Young made a steal to tie the game at 4.  Tyler Atchison hit a three and Jake Towers scored on a great pass from Josh Calloni as the Cats took a 9-6 first quarter lead.

The Bearcats went on another four minute drought and didn’t score until the 3:53 mark when Atchison hit another three. The next time down the floor a loose ball caused a giant pile up and Christopher’s R.J. Kuh came up with a bloody face, after the game he was seen by a nurse who butter flied the cut closed. Jr. Ethan Conner hit a free throw at the 3:06 mark and a minute later Calloni knocked down two free tosses. Fellow freshman Hunter Wheeler grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled going back up and hit one of his charity tosses and then the Cats went in at half leading 19-17 in a defensive battle

Young started the second half with a steal and a lay-up, Merck’s followed with two free throws for a 25-18 Bearcat lead. Merck hit two free throws before  a S-V technical foul but the Cats missed both of these free throws and turned the ball over throwing it in. Young stepped up big again with his third steal and basket of the game to put CCHS up 29-20. The Cats lead then went to 31-22 and Young’s defense again got him another layup for a 33-22 lead, the biggest of the night.

Someone forgot to tell Coach Chip Basso’s crew that they were out of the game. The Cats evened the score when one of their players was called for a technical after fouling.  S-V’s Derek Hood hits both free throws and the Red Devils clawed back to being down only 33-25. The home team’s Jacob Vanwey scored and Jordan Gunter fired in a long range three. With the Red Devils down 33-30 the Cats fell asleep on a missed Red Devil free throw as 6-feet-6-inch Justin Kulich gets the rebound and scored his only field goal of the night as the Cats 11 point  lead was trimmed to 33-32 at the end of the third stanza.

The fourth quarter started with Mercks hitting one of two charity tosses for Christopher, followed by a rebound basket on the next possession giving the visitors a 36-34 advantage. The lead increased to four when Young scored on a nifty pass from Towers. Kulich hits one of two free throws when a foul was called on Christopher and where Cat fans were initially excited when they thought the call was a charging foul on SV’s all conference tight end. Young scored for a 40-35 lead but after a SV basket Coach Basso called a time out at the 3:12 mark and his team down 40-37.Reggie Eubanks is fouled at the 2; 32 mark and makes the first freebie but misses the second. The Cats then made a mistake that will later haunt them as no one screened Kulich out and he hit a bucket to tie the score at 40-40. Young scored the last basket of the night for him and the Cats are up 42-40 but Gunter answered with a basket and again it’s a tie game.

SV’s Hood hits another big basket and tied the score at 42 and there is under a minute to play.

To say the last 50seconds were wild would be an understatement — SV’s Kulich hits a free throw, Hood follows with a basket for a 47-42 SV lead. The Cats Atchison scores with 27.1 seconds left in the game to get close at 47-44. Then sophomore Nick Marlow hits one free throw at the 27 second mark  and after a Bearcat miss, Eubanks hits another freebie for a 49-45 SV lead with 25 seconds left in the game. Atchison hits his fourth trey of the game at the buzzer as the Red Devils win a hard fought contest 49-48.

Scoring for Sesser-Valier was Gunter 11, Hood, 10, Vanwey 8,Marlo 7, Tyler Baxter 7,Kulich 4 and Eubanks 4.

Young led the Cats with 15 ,followed by Atchison with 14, Mercks 9,Towers 4,Calloni and Kuh 2 and Conner and Wheeler a free throw.

Coach Jeremy Varner’s Bearcat JV squad remained undefeated with a 62-39 victory in the preliminary game to raise their record to 5-0.