BY JON REITER
NEW ALBANY — The Rock Creek Christian boys’ basketball team lost to Austin 58-51 in the championship game of the Christian Academy of Indiana Holiday Tournament on Tuesday night, but fought back from a 16-point deficit early to keep the game competitive throughout.
“They're a good team, and they came out and acted like they wanted it more,” Lions coach Chris Brown said. “It was nice to see us fight back and we've gotten better, especially after the way we started the season. But they (Austin) came out with a nervous look and we were just a little too laid back. You just can't have that.”
It was 24-8 early in the second quarter following a put-back by Eagle (9-1) forward Eric Rigel, but over the next six minutes Rock Creek outscored Austin 18-4 to trail by just two at the half, 28-26.
A 3-pointer from the left wing by reserve guard John Ashby with 2.3 seconds left sent the Lions to intermission with the momentum, if not the lead.
“They were a little bit quicker than us and we had to make some adjustments,” Austin coach Mike Deaton said. “The whole year we've been trying to get our kids in the best position they could be in to make shots, and we got away from that a little bit.”
Standout junior guard Ben Raichel provided the spark for Austin in the second half. Following a baseline drive and basket by Rock Creek's Kendrick Dale that tied the score at 28, Raichel marched down the floor and soared over two Lion defenders for a 16-foot jumper that found nothing but net.
Dale, who led Rock Creek with 14 points, answered with another jumper from the free-throw line on the Lions’ next possession. Raichel then broke the 30-30 tie with a 24-footer that gave the Eagles the lead for good with 5:16 left in the third quarter.
The Eagles were hot from beyond the arc, making 8-of-14 shots. Forward Zach Edwards nearly matched Raichel’s tally with 18 points, making 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Raichel scored 10 of his 19 points during the third quarter.
Edwards hit a 3 at the third-quarter buzzer to give Austin a 48-40 lead, and Rock Creek was forced to play catch-up from there. The Lions brought it to within three, at 54-51, behind a powerful move to the basket that center Dontale Mayes converted for a score and followed with a foul shot.
The Lions committed two turnovers during the final two minutes, and an Edwards basket and two Dwayne Rice free throws sealed the win.
Still, the game was never out of reach for Rock Creek. Take away the early deficit and a couple of easy transition baskets, and the outcome may have been different against a Class 2A team who has won nine straight games and may be a sectional favorite a class above the Lions.
“You can't get outscored by 16-18 points and expect to come back against a team like Austin,” Brown said. “We gave away a couple of baskets, played well in spots, but not well enough to win.”
Rock Creek will host New Washington, which lost to Henryville 41-38 in the third-place game in the CAI tourney last night, on Saturday.
• Warriors end tourney on high note: Nick McKain and J.T. Taylor combined for 47 points to lead Christian Academy to a 77-57 win over Crothersville in the fifth-place game of the CAI tournament.
The Warriors (3-9), who finished 2-2 in the event, led 40-22 at the half and never looked back in taking down the Tigers (2-8).
McKain had 27 in the winning effort, while Taylor scored 20 for CAI, which will meet Crothersville again on the road in its next outing on Jan. 10.
AUSTIN 22 6 20 10 —58
ROCK CREEK 8 18 14 11—51
Austin (9-1) — Rachiel 19, Edwards 18, Rigel 10, Rice 5, Winchester 4, Deaton 2, Densford 0, White 0.
Rock Creek (5-4) — Dale 14, Bennett 10, Todd 8, Major 6, Ashby 6, Mayes 5, Austin 2, Howe 0, McGregory 0.
Three-point field goals — Austin 8 (Edwards 4, Raichel 3, Rice); Rock Creek 7 (Todd 2, Bennett 2, Ashby 2, Major).
Rebounds — Austin 27 (Rigel, Edwards 6); Rock Creek 26 (Dale 6).
Turnovers — Austin 16, Rock Creek 17.
