Christian Academy blows by Eastern 58-42 in 28th District semifinals
The only thing better than getting a district win is adding a bit of the revenge factor in the victory. Such was the case for the Christian Academy Centurions, who knocked out the Eastern Eagles 58-42 at Ballard High School on Tuesday night. Centurions (20-10) head coach Aaron Hill said CAL really came together as a team against the Eagles to avenge the Feb. 8 meeting where Eastern walked away with the win.
"There was a 20-point loss two weeks ago to them," said Hill. "So bouncing back, I thought we were a lot tougher tonight (and) played good team ball."
The game started out tight enough, as both teams came out looking to gain the early edge. Kirk Lemons and Jackson Washington hit early shots to get CAL started with a 5-0 lead, but Sosthene Kamba, Owen Shee and Stacey Anderson quickly turned the tables to give Eastern the 7-5 advantage.
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CAL and Eastern would continue to trade buckets and tied the game at 12-all in the second quarter, but afterwards the Centurions would start to find their rhythm. George Washington III scored on four of CAL's next five possessions to forge a 10-2 run. Eastern's Stacey Anderson and Sam Glass put together five quick points to help the Eagles keep pace, but Washington dropped in a three before halftime to give CAL a 27-19 lead at the break.
Eastern tried to pull back in the game with scores from Anderson, Kamba and Jaden Johnson to start the third quarter, but Jackson Washington came up with a dagger three-pointer that snuffed out the momentum the Eagles were hoping to build. The Eagles kept it close and finished the third period down only 38-32 to CAL. But a steady stream of shots from Washington, Lemons, Cole Hodge and Connor Hodge was enough to keep the Eagles at bay and propel the Centurions into the 28th District championship game against Ballard, who beat Kentucky Country Day earlier in the evening, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
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"I think it was a great game," said Washington, who finished with 22 points. "The real focus was to be ourselves. We had everyone come in, step up (and) make big plays. It was a great team win."
Reach Jonathan Saxon at JSaxon@gannett.com or 502-715-1393 and follow him on Twitter at @TheSleepyScribe.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Christian Academy Louisville beats Eastern in 28th District semifinals
