RUGGED RHODES
CCS star scores 34 in rout of Grace
Chattanooga Christian’s John Rhodes had a big first half in Friday’s Division II East District 2-A boys’ high school basketball game at Grace Academy. And nearly as big of a third quarter.
Rhodes’ third-quarter output doubled what the Golden Eagles scored in the period, and the Chargers broke away from a four-point halftime lead and cruised to a 74-49 victory.
CCS (14-3, 3-0) moved into sole possession of first place in the district.
“That’s big,” CCS coach Eddie Salter said. “We did the same thing last year, but our year ended in the region tournament. We want to be more focused going into tournament time this year.”
Rhodes, a junior who has committed to play baseball at Kentucky, was coming off a career-best 33 points Thursday in a 73-69 overtime win over Howard. He set a new career high of 34 against Grace, backing his 18-point first half with 16 in the third when CCS outscored the Golden Eagles 22-8.
“He killed us,” Grace coach Jon Mattheiss said. “It really was like a one-man show. We couldn’t figure out anything to slow him down. He’s going to play baseball, but I can’t imagine he’s so much better in baseball. He’s an outstanding basketball player. With his quickness and as athletic as he is, when
he gets in the open court he’s not going to miss layups.”
Half of Rhodes’ 16 field goals were direct results of Grace turnovers. The Chargers trapped often out of their 1-3-1 defense, resulting in a multitude of interceptions and throwaways.
“That’s the best half-court we’ve played in a long time,” Salter said. “We got some steals and sort of opened it up. A lot of times we were in the right place at the right time.”
Although CCS led from 8-5 on, its 13-point second-quarter lead got cut to two late in the half.
“We knew they were going to play a 1-3-1,” Mattheiss said. “We practiced against it. We handled it a lot better in the first half. That’s what’s disappointing. We had already seen it. Our kids’ effort was there. But 29 turnovers in 32 minutes, that was the game.”
Nine other Chargers besides Rhodes scored, although none were in double figures. Reserve Trevon Scott was next with seven points.
Cade Tinsley topped Grace (8-4, 2-1) with 12 points, and Avery Halloran totaled 11. Jaden Hossler had nine off the bench, and Nick Billingsley scored eight.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.