No rally this time for Dayton Christian against Emmanuel Christian
SPRINGFIELD — The Emmanuel Christian Academy boys basketball team wasn’t going to let a halftime lead slip away for a second time this season against rival Dayton Christian.
The Lions won their 17th straight game in The Lions Den, beating the Warriors 49-40 in a Metro Buckeye Conference showdown Friday night between first-place teams in Springfield.
Fred Shropshire and Jason Channels each scored 11 points, Casey Swank added 10 and Noah Willis had eight for the Lions (11-2, 7-1 MBC).
Emmanuel Christian has won 10 straight games since falling 52-49 to Dayton Christian on Dec. 7 in a game they led by 17 at halftime. The Lions weren’t going to let it happen again, said Lions coach Danny Moore.
“That game taught us a lot,” he said. “The biggest thing it taught us was the grit that we needed tonight to just step through and play defense. I thought they did a great job playing defense at the most important times of the game.”
Emmanuel Christian led 24-17 at the half and extended its lead to 35-27 after three quarters. Channels went 4-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory for the Lions.
Freshman Isaiah Edwards scored 18 points for the Warriors (8-5, 6-2 MBC), including all 10 of their points in the fourth quarter against the Lions’ zone defense.
“It was difficult for us to score,” said Warriors coach JT Holliday. “I give a lot of credit to them. They’re a good team. ... I thought we executed the way we wanted to execute, but the shots didn’t fall.”
The Lions haven’t lost at home in nearly two years. The program’s last home loss was Feb. 16, 2018 against Dayton Christian. They were a perfect 10-0 last season.
With the win, the Lions kept pace with Troy Christian (12-3, 7-1) in the MBC title race. Emmanuel Christian has four of its remaining six conference games at home. The Lions are seeking the first MBC title in school history.
The Warriors travel to Troy Christian on Tuesday in another crucial MBC game. They also play MBC foe Jefferson and Franklin, Indiana, in back-to-back road games Friday and Saturday.