TCA boys rally late to beat Jackson Christian
The Trinity Christian Academy boys’ basketball team didn’t get the offensive flow it wanted throughout most of the game, but when it mattered, the Lions did what was necessary to get the District 15-A victory.
TCA ended regulation on a 9-1 run and hit free throws in overtime to beat Jackson Christian 67-63 at Jackson Christian.
“These last four games, we have shown resilience,” TCA coach Ken Northcut said. “We were down eight with less than two minutes to play. We got a long rebound on a missed free throw and put back. It wasn’t pretty, but this is January 19, and we still have a lot to get better at.”
The win keeps TCA (13-8, 5-1) within one game of district leader Middleton, while Jackson Christian (12-8, 3-3) falls to .500 in district play.
The Lions struggled to hit shots, especially from 3-point range, throughout the night, and the Eagles held a lead at halftime and after the third quarter.
Things weren’t looking much better down the stretch as a Clay Lewis 3-pointer gave Jackson Christian a 53-45 lead with 2:26 to play.
But senior Segio Pagoaga came through in the clutch for TCA. Pagoaga scored six of his 12 points in the final 1:12 to tie the game and force overtime.
“Early on we started settling for bad shots,” Pagoaga said. “We had an advantage inside, and we were trying to shoot outside shots. In the fourth quarter, we started getting smarter with the ball. We were patient even though we were behind, and we did a better job rebounding.”
Pagoaga scored with 1:12 and 33.6 seconds remaining to cut the Eagles’ lead to two points (54-52), and after a missed Jackson Christian free throw, the Lions called a timeout and set up a play.
Out of the timeout, Pagoaga was left open on the baseline, and his layup with seven seconds left tied the game.
“This year I have taken more of a leadership role,” Pagoaga said. “When we are struggling, the guys look to me to make plays or facilitate getting the ball to them.”
TCA scored the first two baskets of the overtime period and went 9-of-12 from the free throw line to win.
“This is preparing our guys through adverse situations,” Northcut said. “We are going to see adversity in the postseason, and it is how do you react. Our guys made plays and put us in a position to win.”
Isaac Elliott led the Lions with 14 points, and Eli Parker added 13 points.
But in the later part of the second half, TCA had to look to one of its younger players as posts Pagoaga and Thomas Harvey sat on the bench in foul trouble. Sophomore Vann Bryant played quality minutes to help the Lions stay in the game through the second quarter.
“Vann Bryant came in and got some rebounds and took two or three charges,” Northcut said. “He used his length on the defensive end, and he played big for us.”
Riley Ragan led Jackson Christian with 16 points, while Clay Lewis added 12, Jeremy Stewart scored 11 and Logan Riddle had 10.
Girls
TCA 57,
Jackson Chr. 47
The Lady Lions (9-12, 3-3) scored the first eight points of the second half on the way to beat city-rival Jackson Christian.
Brynne Lytle led TCA with 29 points, while Hannah Bratton scored 19 points.
The Lady Eagles (9-12, 2-4) were led by Amelia Grizzell with 18 points, while Kady Beth Cook added 12.
Michael Odom, 425-9754