CCS takes win from Marion

Back-to-back steals early in the first quarter set the tone for Chattanooga Christian in Tuesday night’s District 6-AA boys’ basketball game against Marion County.

If coach Jim Arnold had his way, that’s how the Chargers would begin every game.

Mario Hill converted both those steals into points for host CCS, which used its defensive pressure to roll to a 68-43 victory over the Warriors and secure a second-place spot in the district standings.

“That’s our style,” Arnold said. “We like to push the tempo, and that’s been our strong suit. If we can get some steals and some easy baskets, it really helps get us going.”

CCS (10-4, 5-1) pulled away for a 20-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, but three first-half 3-pointers from Chris Martin kept the Warriors in it. A basket from Martin got them within five with 4:14 left in the second period before a string of missed opportunities underneath the basket and a technical foul contributed to a 12-0 Chargers run.

Isaac Davenport scored six points in that span, and his steal and pass to Stephen Cook resulted in a basket with 27 seconds remaining and a 38-21 halftime lead for CCS.

“We were very unselfish tonight,” Cook said. “We had a lot of guys giving the ball up, and a lot of guys scored. We just played team ball, and that’s what you have to do to be successful.”

A 3 from Corpeio Brocks cut Marion County’s deficit to 42-28 midway through the third quarter, but the 5-foot-9 Davenport responded by driving to the basket against the Warriors’ 6-8 Cody Henegar, and CCS cruised the rest of the way.

Cook had a game-high 17 points and five of the Chargers’ 17 assists, while Davenport had 16 points and four of their 10 steals. Hill contributed 15 points for CCS, while Martin led Marion County (12-7, 8-2) with 14.

“Any time you get a district win, it’s big,” Arnold said. “With Marion playing as well as they have been, it’s huge. They’re a good team.

“We’ve played some good basketball, but we know the only way we can beat people is if we’re more aggressive, more tenacious and execute better. We remind our kids every day that this is what you have to do.”