Visiting Parkersburg Christian Knights down Belpre Christian

BELPRE -- Even though homecoming recognition for members of the Parkersburg Christian boys basketball team doesn't officially take place until Thursday, the Knights did some early celebrating after getting a rare win over Belpre Christian.

On Monday night, Parkersburg Christian made the short trip into Ohio and defeated the Patriots 58-42 behind 25 points from Navi Hewitt. Just as Belpre Christian made a run at the Knights midway into the fourth quarter, the sophomore knocked down a 3-pointer from the left baseline as part of 14-1 run to close out the game.

Wyatt Meadows added 11 points and senior Nazir Hewitt pitched in 10 points for a Knights ballclub which improved to 9-1 and avenged a 52-44 loss to the Patriots nearly three weeks ago.

"That was a big win tonight -- Belpre Christian has had our number for a couple of years now and it was good to come into their place and get a win," Knights coach Bill Meadows said. "Belpre Christian is a big team and I don't think we outrebounded them, but we played even with them and that was a big point tonight."

Belpre Christian suffered its second straight loss and only third of the season while slipping to 12-3. The Patriots trailed 40-28 to open the fourth quarter before patriot junior Bryson Queen found his stroke for a pair of 3-pointers, followed by an Isaiah Wanstreet putback and another 3-pointer.

Aelijah Ansell completed the 13-4 run with a reverse layup to cut the gap to 44-41 with four minutes still left in regulation.

Following a Parkersburg Christian timeout, the Knights hit the Patriots with a solid right hook by responding with a five-point surge in the matter of 45 seconds.

"We have a no quit team," Belpre Christian coach Eric Fullerton said after his Patriots shot just 28 percent (17-of-60) from the floor."

"We did not hit shots tonight until that (fourth quarter) run. If we hit those shots, I don't know if there would need to be a run.

"But out guys did not give up. It was one possession at a time."

Parkersburg Christian struggled form the field while playing Belpre Christian on even terms at 9-9 at the first quarter. The Knights made just 2-of-14 shots from the floor, but the numbers improved as they got deeper into the game.

A decisive edge in the free-throw department carried Parkersburg Christian, which took 35 trips to the line compared to just nine for Belpre Christian. In that part of the game, the Knights outscored the Patriots 19-4.

Belpre Christian, which is celebrating its 50th year as a school, led 21-20 at the mid-point of the second quarter before the free-throw line began to take its toll. The Knights closed out the first half on a 10-0 with all but two points coming from the charity stripe.

"Normally I get worked up, but after that first half I said, 'Lord, if you don't do something with our shooting percentage' -- this is not us," Fullerton said. "And we were amped. The guys were so pumped up. This game hasn't happened for about three years until several weeks ago,

"Little by little, the rivalry is coming back. It was a great game. Parkersburg Christian made their shots and we couldn't wear them down like we wanted to."

Parkersburg Christian, which hosts Elk Valley Christian on Thursday for Homecoming, tacked on another two points to open the third quarter and eventually widened the gap to a game-high 14 points at 37-23.

"Homecoming is a big deal because at Parkersburg Christian there is basketball and volleyball, so those two sports get a lot of support, " Meadows said. "Homecoming is always nice. Our administration does a great job putting that on, so that should be fun."

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com