GENTRY — Shiloh Christian brought a deep bench to Tuesday night’s 4A-1 Conference boys basketball clash. It’s a good thing. The Saints used almost every player who suited up.
Shiloh Christian ran and pressed from tip-to-buzzer in a 55-42 win in a key league game of teams battling for seeds in the upcoming district tournament later this month.
The Saints (8-12, 5-6 4A-1) played 10 players throughout the game, and seven of them scored. The Saints’ pressing style is something first-year coach Jacob Skinner said his team is starting to grasp.
“I had completely different kinds of players back in Texas where I was before,” Skinner said. “These kids have done a fantastic job of buying into what I believe in. I think I’ve got them to believe in it, they’re believing in it, and I tell you what, it’s fun.”
The Saints were able to grab a double-digit lead by forcing turnovers and driving to the basket. Adam Treece, who led all scorers with 14 points, gave Shiloh Christian a 16-5 lead with 1 minute, 44 seconds left in the first quarter on a driving layup and a foul. In the first quarter, both teams drew one-and-one opportunities.
Gentry (9-7, 5-6) battled back with a 7-0 run in the second quarter to pull within 22-19 on C.J. Taylor’s free throw. Taylor led the Pioneers with 9 points.
The first half was close the rest of the way with Shiloh Christian grabbing a 28-23 halftime lead and extending its lead to 32-23 on Sean Sutton’s inside bucket to open the third quarter. Jake Faulkenberry scored twice in the paint and Taylor drove the baseline for another bucket to keep Gentry close at 34-29 before the Saints ended the third quarter on a 7-0 run and a 44-30 lead on Jackson Hutchinson’s three-point play with 7:02 left.
The Pioneers ran off eight straight points to close the deficit to 45-40, but after a timeout, the Saints hit back-to-back layups by beating Gentry’s press to seal the win.
“Their press was a factor early on,” Gentry coach Sean Price said. “We ended up having 22-plus turnovers in the game, that’s going to make it hard for us to beat anybody. They do a good job out of their press, and we just didn’t handle it very well tonight.”
Skinner, who was hired after the school year started, said his team is starting to turn the corner after a slow start trying to learn a new system essentially on the fly.
“This is fun to coach, it’s fun to watch,” Skinner said. “When we’re executing, it’s a fun style of basketball. We got here in October, it’s been four months and I think each week we keep getting better with our rotations. Man, the kids came through tonight.”
Boys
Shiloh Christian 19 9 13 14 — 55
Gentry11 12 6 13 — 42
Shiloh Christian (8-12, 5-6): Treece 14, Tune 12, Hutchinson 9, Neal 6, Sutton 5, Reece 5, Bryant 4.
Gentry (9-7, 5-6): Taylor 9, Juillerat 8, Tompson 7, Faulkenberry 6, Cripps 4, Clark 4, Hammond 3, Folker 1.