Chilton Christian can’t pull out wins on Senior Night
Published 1:53 pm Thursday, January 30, 2014
Chilton Christian Academy’s Nick Haube looks for a weakness in the Tabernacle defense during last week’s game.
By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser
The 2013-14 basketball season has been one of learning for the Chilton County Christian Academy Patriots.
With only two seniors between the two varsity basketball teams, the Patriots have relied on underclassmen all season.
With CCA playing host to area foe Tabernacle on Jan. 24, those seniors would be called on one last time as their high school careers were celebrated on Senior Night.
Chilton Christian’s Summer Voyles (left) drives against the defense of Tabernacle’s Lauren Box.
After going to the half tied, CCA’s girls would succumb to the Torches’ defensive pressure in the second half and fall behind down the stretch, to lose 55-38.
Both teams had a tough time finding the basket during the first period, but four points by Faith Howard led the Torches to a 9-4 first-period lead.
The second period became a one-woman show as Sarina Gutierrez took over the Patriot offense, scoring 15 second-period points and bringing the Patriots back into the game by knotting the game 22-all at the half.
The Torches made it a goal in the third period to take Gutierrez away from the Patriots by applying double and even triple teams against her.
With their defense shutting down the Patriots’ leading scorer, the Torches offense managed 16 points of their own and took a 38-29 lead to the fourth period.
Despite taking on two or three Torches defenders, eight points from Gutierrez in the fourth period paced the Patriots, but with only one point from her teammates in the final period, Chilton Christian fell to the Torches.
Gutierrez led all scorers with 27 points in addition to six rebounds, nine steals and two blocks for the Patriots.
Faith Howard, Lauren Box and Ashley Rowell all had 10 points each for the Torches.
Falling into a large early deficit, the Patriots varsity boys couldn’t quite find the offensive firepower to mount a comeback as the Torches picked up a 58-37 win.
Three points from Landon Hall accounted for all the offense for the Patriots in the first period.
Meanwhile, 10 points from John White gave the Torches an early 11-3 lead.
Hall continued to lead the way for the Patriots in the second period, putting up six points, but 11 from White, including three baskets from behind the arc, gave the Torches a 26-12 lead at the half.
With White continuing to light up the scoreboard for the Torches with seven more in the third period, Zach Pittman’s four points weren’t enough to keep the Patriots from falling further behind.
After three periods of play, Tabernacle led 40-25.
Six points from Hall and four from Joshua Burns in the final period weren’t enough to get the Patriots back into the game, as the Torches picked up the win.
Hall led the way for the Patriots with 19 points, 10 rebounds and one steal.
White led all scorers with 33 points (including 7-of-12 from downtown), five rebounds, three steals and a block.
