Episcopal repels CAC’s comeback
3A-5 BOYS EPISCOPAL COLLEGIATE 55, CENTRAL ARK. CHRISTIAN 46
Episcopal Collegiate withstood a gut punch in the fourth quarter from Central Arkansas Christian on Tuesday night before closing the Mustangs out in a pivotal 3A-5 Conference clash.
The Wildcats erased a onepoint deficit by scoring the game’s final 10 points to beat CAC 55-46 at the Episcopal Collegiate Sports Complex.
Senior guards Che Smith and Jace Mitchell combined to score 23 of the Wildcats’ 28 second-half points to help them rebound from a dismal loss to Glen Rose on Friday night. They’ve now beaten the Mustangs in eight of their past nine meetings.
“That was a big win for us,” Episcopal Collegiate Coach Brandon Friedel said. “We had a slow first quarter but turned to our defense in the second quarter to get that lead. [CAC] hurt us in the second half, though, by driving the ball to the rim and getting offensive rebounds.
“But I was proud of our kids because they got stops down the stretch when it mattered. Got some big rebounds and scored in transition to pull away. It was a good fight because CAC is a really good team.”
Smith finished with 27 points and 5 steals, and Mitchell added 16 points and 7 rebounds for Episcopal Collegiate (15-9, 8-3), which was down 10-2 in the first quarter but went on a 17-2 flurry that lasted well into the second quarter. The Wildcats eventually led 28-17 at halftime.
CAC (15-6, 8-3) rallied in the third by getting easier shots. The Mustangs attempted only one field goal outside of 15 feet and finished 8-of-9 shooting in the quarter to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 40-36.
Senior guard Colton Marshall gave CAC a 46-45 lead on his putback with 2:53 left in the game, but Smith and Mitchell took over from there. Mitchell’s runner allowed the Wildcats to regain the advantage on the next trip, and Smith stole an errant pass and scored inside as Episcopal Collegiate embarked on its game-sealing run.
“We had some crucial turnovers down the stretch that they converted into baskets,” CAC Coach Matt Hall said. “You can’t do that on the road against a good team. We did a good job of fighting back, but you just can’t make mistakes in crucial moments like we did.”
Junior guard Brock Hendrix had 18 points and 7 rebounds, and sophomore forward Steven Massey ended with 10 points and 5 rebounds for the Mustangs, who are tied with the Wildcats for second place in the conference behind league-leading Baptist Prep. CAC hosts the Eagles on Friday, and Hall hopes his team can put this one behind them.
“We’ll have to play well,” he said. “Baptist is pretty balanced and has five guys that are all threats. Coach [Steve] Miller at Baptist is as good as there is, and he’s got those guys playing well. They may have lost a couple here lately, but they’re going to be fired up to come get a win.
“But we’ve got to regroup, get back to work and get ready for a tough one.”