The Kentucky Christian University basketball team hosted the Super 8 Classic this past weekend at the Dick Damron Hall of Champions. The tournament included three of the top 10 ranked teams in the National Christian College Athletic Association.
KCU opened up the classic last Thursday night with an 89-78 against the Warriors of Wesley College out of Jackson, Miss.
The Knights came out and held a minimal lead throughout the first half. Early foul trouble inside caused KCU to play five guards for the final 10 minutes of the first half. Eric Mckee and Casey Jones led the charge in the first half, with Jones hitting a three at the buzzer to put the Knights up 38-32 going into the intermission.
The second half, the Knights came out at full strength. Great defense only allowed 8 points in the first 8 minutes of the second half. Offensively, KCU found the right gear and ran out to a 23-point lead at 63-40 with a little over 11 minutes to go in the game.
Wesley came charging back, hitting four 3-point baskets in the final 8 minutes. They cut the lead to six, 80-74.
Down the stretch, the Knights hit their free throws and handled the ball versus the pressure to secure the victory over Wesley. KCU was led by Casey Jones who finished with 24 points and 18 rebounds. Eric McKee also added 18 points and 7 rebounds. Sophomore Jon Hood scored 9 points, while junior post player Cedomir Ilic finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds. Rounding out the balanced scoring for the Knights was freshman Shawn Thompson with 8 points, sophomore Blandon Clemons 8 points, senior Jordan Garrett finished with 8 points, and junior Katlin Haney netted 7 points.
The Knights kept the ball rolling with an 82-72 win over Valley Forge in the second game of the classic. But fell short with an 80-56 loss against Grace Bible.
KCU faces Berea Thursday night at home. The tip off for the game is 8 p.m.
