By Wil Crews
sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com
It was another tough week for the Southern Christian Patriots as the varsity boys fell to 0-4.
On Tuesday, the Patriots traveled to face the First Assembly Lions in Ashland, Alabama. The JV boys were up first and managed to cage the Lions by a score of 31-27 behind Levi Marchio’s 12 points and team-high six assists. Jedd Scott matched Marchio’s 12 points, and his back-to-back three pointers just before the half gave the Patriots momentum heading into the break. While Marchio was dishing out dimes left and right, Jagger Scott was giving the Patriots crucial extra possessions on offense, pulling down a team-high 15 rebounds.
The JV Girls played next and, despite playing a tough defensive game, never got the offense rolling. The inexperienced Patriots struggled with turnovers and failed to find any consistency as the game went along. The Lady Patriots fell to the Lady Lions 25-8.
The last game of the evening was reserved for the Varsity Boys. The Patriots were led by senior Luke Humes with 8 points and five steals. Jagger Scott added 5 points and again dominated the boards, pulling down double digit rebounds for the second game in a row. Silas Frick was battling in the paint alongside him and finished with eight rebounds himself. However, in the end, the high-powered Lions’ offense was too much for the Patriots to handle as they lost 49-23, bringing their record to 0-3.
On Saturday, Southern Christian traveled to LaGrange, Georgia, to play the LaGrange Academy Warriors. The Patriots split the evening 2-2.
The middle school boys played first and won 34-21 behind Jed Scott’s team-leading 15 points and six steals. Harris Adams finished with 8 points and helped the Patriots get off to a hot start with 6 points in the first three minutes. Jagger Scott owned the paint with six blocks and 15 rebounds.
The JV girls played next and made it back-to-back wins for the Patriots when they won a defensive showcase, 10-4. Rehma Creel led the way for Southern Christian with 6 points and seven rebounds.
After losing the first two games on the night, LaGrange came out fighting in its JV Boys game against the Patriots. The JV Warriors led the Patriots 9-0 after the first quarter. Southern Christian scrapped their way back into the game, but a few crucial turnovers in the game’s waning minutes was the difference as the Patriots fell 28-22.
The Varsity Boys were up next for the night’s finale. But the Warriors came to play, dominating the Patriots 37-26 at half time. The Warriors employed a deep rotation to keep guys fresh and were rewarded with 12 of their 14 rostered players contributing to the scoresheet. The Patriots were led by Jagger’s 11 point, 12 rebound double-double, but ultimately fell 46-32.
After back to back losses, Southern Christian Head Coach Jason Scott told his players to keep their heads held high.
“I need everyone to remember who we are and where we have come from,” he said. “Most of you never even played basketball before. We are getting better each practice and every game.”
It’s been tough sledding for the Patriots in their program’s first ever basketball season. But Scott believes better things are ahead. The promising middle school boys team with a 2-1 record will traveled to face Southern Prep on Tuesday while all other SCA Patriots will be preparing to face the East Central Patriots on Saturday in their home opener at the newly renovated Covington Rec Center in Opelika.
Tuesday night’s results were not available at the time of press.
Stay tuned weekly for updates on the Patriots’ season.