Barstow goes inside for 75-68 win over Summit Christian Academy
Barstow enjoys a size advantage that some small colleges would envy.
When the Knights needed points to put some breathing room between themselves and rival Summit Christian Academy, they went back to basics.
Barstow, The Star’s top-ranked small-class boys team, fed the post, then fed it some more to lock up a 75-68 victory Friday.
These two teams went back and forth in the cozy confines of Barstow’s gym, to the tune of 15 lead changes and 10 ties.
Barstow, 14-2, took the lead for good when senior forward Jeriah Horne stepped back and drilled a three-pointer with just more than 6 minutes to play.
It was Horne’s presence down low, however, that gave Barstow some breathing space. Horne scored 11 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter.
“The ball wasn’t quite rolling our way in the first three quarters,” Horne said. “We missed a lot of easy layups. But Jacob (Gilyard) and Shea (Rush), they continued to be assertive and take focus off of me. With that, I was able to finish buckets inside and get going.”
Gilyard finished with 14 points, and Tripp Walsworth scored 11.
“No matter what the records are, no matter what the rankings are, that game is a game we know is going to be hotly contested,” Barstow coach Billy Thomas said. “They always play hard and fearless.”
The Knights didn’t seem nervous, but it wasn’t until the final quarter that Thomas saw the team he’s used to seeing.
“We play inside out, and that way we got a little bit of a cushion,” Thomas said. “But to their credit they pushed back. Whenever we’d go back to getting the ball inside, then back out, or straight inside, we took better advantage of our strength.”
Summit Christian stayed in the game with a barrage of three-pointers — 11 in all. Sophomore Preston Kliewer scored a team-high 16 points, and junior General Williams added 14.
“Honestly I think it came down to a couple of possessions where we didn’t hit shots and they did,” Summit Christian coach Jake Kates said. “We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the state. We think we’re one of the best teams in the state, and hopefully we see them again in districts.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 10:29 PM with the headline "Barstow goes inside for 75-68 win over Summit Christian Academy."