ELKHART —
After two straight losses — including a last-second defeat at Lakewood Park last week — the Elkhart Christian boys basketball team was ready to rebound with a win.
The Eagles did just that Friday night at home, holding off Bethany Christian for a 49-43 victory. With the win, Elkhart Christian improved to 9-5 on the season.
Eagle sophomore forward Corey Waycaster — who led all scorers with 21 points — said he and his teammates were able to adjust, take care of the ball late and get a win in front of a loud home crowd.
“Losing to Lakewood Park last week by 1 (49-48) left a bad taste in our mouths,” Waycaster said.
“Then we didn’t shoot well against Jimtown. We wanted to come out and play better tonight.”
Elkhart Christian pushed out to an early 9-2 lead, aided by a Bruin intentional foul. After leading 13-8 at the first stop, the Eagles got out to an early 18-10 advantage in the second stanza, but Bethany (7-8) responded with a 10-3 run to pull to within one at 21-20.
The Eagles got back out to a four-point lead at 24-20 with just under a minute left in the half But the Bruins closed with a 5-0 run — including a buzzer-beating 3-ball by David DeLeeuw — to lead 25-24 at the break.
The Eagles got out to a 32-28 advantage early in the third, but Elkhart Christian answered with a 7-2 run to retake the lead at 35-34. The score was knotted at 39 at the third stop.
The two teams traded buckets to start the fourth, and then a five-point swing for the Eagles — a 3-pointer by Kenny Bearss and a back-door move by Waycaster — put Elkhart Christian up five at 46-41.
Elkhart Christian coach Ryan Culp was pleased with his team’s poise late.
“That was a different kind of offense for us, holding onto the ball,” Culp said.
“But we handled the pressure well and looked for high-percentage shots.”
Bethany coach Jim Buller said the difference in the game came on the boards, where the Eagles got a number of second and third-chance shots.
“They played very physical, and it looked like they were more determined to get to the ball than we were to keep them away,” Buller said.
In addition to Waycaster’s 21 points, the Eagles got 14 points from Ryan Kupferschmid and 10 from Bearss.
DeLeeuw had 13 points to lead the Bruins. Femi Hollinger-Janzen and Andy Slagel added 10 apiece.
Earlier, Elkhart Christian was a 35-26 winner in the J.V. contest.
Steve Weaver led the J.V. Eagles with 14 points. Jude Allen added seven.
Abe Thomas led the Bethany jayvees with 10 points.
Elkhart Christian hosts Culver Academy on Tuesday. Bethany Christian travels to Lakewood Park on Thursday.
Sports
Related Photos
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Elkhart Christian's Ryan Kupferschmid puts up a shot over Bethany Christian's Tanner Watson Friday night. DAVID VANTRESS
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Bethany Christian's David DeLeeuw looks to get the ball inside against the defense of Elkhart Christian’s Ryan Kupferschmid Friday night at Elkhart Christian.
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