Sports Writer

LUVERNE – Center Deon Foster scored 18 points to lead a balanced attack as the Dixie Academy Rebels held off the Pike Liberal Arts Patriots 65-53 in the first round of the Crenshaw Christian Academy Basketball Tournament in Luverne Monday night.

With the loss, the Patriots faced the loser of the Ashford Academy-Crenshaw Christian Academy game in the consolation round Tuesday afternoon. Details were not available at press time.

It was a frustrating outing for the Patriots (4-6) as they were unable to put anything together against the Rebels, who used a 2-3 zone to shut down Pike’s inside people.

In the first quarter, PLAS only trailed 7-6 until the Rebels went on a 13-3 run to close out the period to take a commanding 20-9 lead.

The Patriots showed some signs of life in the second quarter as they hit several long range three pointers to remain in the contest. Pike Liberal hit seven three pointers in the first halfto cut the lead to eight points before Dixie Academy settled for a 37-26 lead at the halftime break. Junior Layton Sanders and senior B.J. Powell combined to score 21 of Pike’s 26 points in the first half.

However, the three pointers started not to drop for the Patriots as the Rebels went on a 15-0 run including a basket at the end of the first half to expand their lead to 50-26. The Rebels held the Patriots without a point for the first six minutes of the third quarter.

The Patriots didn’t quit, however, as they went on a 18-2 run to cut the deficit to eight points at 52-44 with 4:09 remaining in the game. However, that was as close as the Patriots would get. The

Rebels (6-0) hit several key free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.

Dixie Academy used its tremendous size advantage throughout the evening getting to the free throw line consistently against the Patriots. The Rebels sank 19-of-25 free throws for 76 percent compared to the Patriots’ 4-of-9 performance at the charity stripe.

Kendall Currie finished with 16 points for the Rebels while Andrew Davis and Stephen Sowell scored 12 points apiece in the winning effort. Powell led all scorers for the Patriots with 21 points, while Sanders ended up scoring 10 points. Jared Waldrop had eight points while Druid Conrad scored six points in a losing cause.

Pike Liberal girls lose heartbreaker: The Pike Liberal Arts girls dropped a tough 31-30 decision to the Dixie Academy Lady Rebels 31-30 in the first round of the CCA Girls Basketball Tournament late Monday afternoon.

With the loss, the Lady Patriots faced the loser of the CCA-Ashford Academy game in the consolation round Tuesday.

The first half was a defensive struggle as both teams were unable to establish any type of offensive rhythm. The Lady Patriots settled for a slim 15-13 lead at intermission.

In the third quarter, the game continued at a slow pace as both teams swapped baskets as PLAS took a 24-23 lead into the final stanza.

In the fourth quarter, the Rebels took the lead for good as they started on a 8-2 run for a 30-26 lead before holding on for the win.

Dixie’s Amy Kealy led all scorers with 13 points while Kristen Scott added seven points in the winning effort.

Jessica Brooks led a balanced attack for the Lady Patriots with eight points while Rae Pinckard and Danielle Johnson each added seven points in a losing cause.

After the CCA tournament, the Patriots will return to action next Thursday when they travel to Louisville to participate in the Dixie Academy Tournament. The pairings have not been announced.