Fredericksburg Christian seemingly couldn’t miss from beyond the arc.
First it was Chris Cheatum. Then it was James Ashlock.
By halftime it was all Fredericksburg Christian as they took a 10-point lead into the break and held off Covenant for a 75-59 victory in the opening round of the VISAA Division II boys tournament.
“We didn’t get beat because we didn’t come out ready to play tonight,” said Covenant coach Travis Johnson. “They were hitting shots left and right and we got after it and never gave up.”
Cheatum buried three 3-pointers in the first quarter and added a fourth in the second quarter. Ashlock got moving in the second frame and knocked down four 3-pointers in that span. Freshman Chris Lomax had one long ball of his own too to give Fredericksburg Christian nine first half 3-pointers.
Cheatum finished with 19 points and Ashlock managed 14 on the night. In the second half, with Covenant trying to close out better on the perimeter, Keion Robinson did some damage for Fredericksburg underneath with 15 points, 11 of them coming after the break.
“We tried to take away some of their shooters but then a guy would dump down or penetrate so if we pressed up too much they were getting lay-ups and if we sat back they were getting threes,” Johnson said. “It was a barrage tonight.”
TCS couldn’t match Fredericksburg Christian’s outside shooting, though Matt Shobe did manage to knock down three 3-pointers before the break that kept Covenant within striking distance. But FC clamped down on him after the break and while DeNeil Bryant connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the second half, Covenant couldn’t dig out of the early hole.
Shobe’s 12 led Covenant while Bryant had nine, all of them after halftime. George Brumbaugh chipped in 10 points.
The loss cut short a strong campaign for the Eagles, who stumbled a few times early in the year but closed out the regular season strong, making a run to the VIC Division II final that helped them earn the No. 6-seed in the state tournament.
“To see this team from where we started and where the expectations were from everyone outside the locker room and to more than exceed those expectations, it starts with our five seniors,” Johnson said. “How they led this team from the beginning of the year all the way to the end. I was just so proud of those guys.”
Captains Bryant, Kurt Diduch and Henry Pollard in addition to Trenton Jenkins and Jake Hong made up the Eagles’ senior class.
Fredericksburg Christian advances to take on Walsingham Academy Wednesday in the state quarterfinals.
