Body of Christ 65 Coaches in Christ 55

By Mark Carroll - Blog Coordinator

Fans from all around the triangle traveled to McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium on Tuesday night to catch a glimpse at the likes of John Henson and Tracy Smith. Those who stuck around for the final game of the evening were fortunate enough to see yet another outstanding performance by Johnny Thomas.

Thomas, a wing forward who is transferring from N.C. State to Marshall, scored 31 points and 24 points in his first two outings, respectively. His success on the court continued as he led Body of Christ against Roderick Brown and Coaches in Christ.

Body of Christ took an early lead as Thomas scored the first points of the game on a three pointer, and Adarius Pegues swatted away a pair of shots on the other end. Detwon Rodgers contributed to the first quarter scoring, following on a Thomas miss to increase Body of Christ's lead to 12-6. Despite the early run, Brown took matters into his own hands for Coaches in Christ, scoring on multiple dunks. Brown's teammate, Terrence Sutton, put in a two point bucket with eight seconds to go to give Coaches in Christ a 16-14 lead at the end of the period.

In a low scoring second quarter, Body of Christ had trouble getting shots to fall. Brown got to the free throw line for Coaches in Christ, but was unable to put in the buckets that could have pulled his team away. He eventually hit the second of two free throws with 39.9 seconds left in the half, and his team took a 28-23 lead into halftime.

Brown opened things up in the third quarter with a breakaway dunk for two of his 15 points, but Thomas hit a free throw to convert a three point play and followed it with a three pointer just seconds later. Thomas eventually got a put-back basket on a Scott Grable miss to tie the game at 33-33. With just over three minutes to go in the third period, Stephen Woodson hit a three to give Body of Christ their first lead of the half. It appeared that Body of Christ would hold on to the lead until Elliot Williams hit a three at the buzzer to give Coaches in Christ a 48-47 advantage.

As in past games this summer, the fourth quarter was Thomas' time to be the star. Just a few minutes into the final quarter, Thomas dropped in three quick baskets, which made for six of his 24 points, to give his team a 57-50 lead. T.J. Holman's three point play for Coaches in Christ would bring the game within four, but it was not enough. Body of Christ's Michael McKey and Akeem Richmond hit their free throws down the stretched, sealing the win for their team, 65-55.