Arts & Sciences trounce Grave Academy, clinch first place in District 5-A

CSAS's Darius Graves shoots ahead of Grace's Caleb Cravatt during their prep basketball game at Grace Academy on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, in Chattanooga.
CSAS's Darius Graves shoots ahead of Grace's Caleb Cravatt during their prep basketball game at Grace Academy on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, in Chattanooga.

Everyone knows by now that defense wins championships.

The Arts & Sciences Patriots might not have won a championship Tuesday night, but they moved one step closer to one with their 70-42 victory at Grave Academy. The Patriots clinched the District 5-A top spot after they stonewalled the Golden Eagles offense for much of the first half.

photo CSAS's Cahlib Edwards, center, and Ben Alegre, right, pressure Grace's Dalton Morrison on defense during their prep basketball game at Grace Academy on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, in Chattanooga.

"Everybody was doing their job on defense," said Darius Graves, who scored 22 points for CSAS. "We take pride in that. We see how many stops we can get in a row. We take a defensive approach to the game instead of an offensive approach, and that helped us out a lot."

It did not take long for CSAS to get going. Cahlib Edwards' early 3-pointer helped the Patriots reel off 16 straight points and jump out to a 21-6 lead at the end of one quarter. Grace was held without a basket for five consecutive minutes.

That momentum carried over immediately into the second quarter as the Patriots opened it with a 10-2 run that extended the lead to 31-8. It was 46-23 at halftime with Graves having scored 12 points and swiped the ball away on multiple occasions in the quarter.

Grace Academy was competitive in the second half, but CSAS's steady play kept the home team from any shot at a comeback. The Patriots outscored their opponents 24-19 in the second half to remain undefeated in district play.

The Golden Eagles' last sliver of hope came after Jaden Hossler's trey capped off a 7-0 run at the 3:36 mark in the second quarter that cut the lead in half. However, the visitors scored eight of the next 10 points.

"It is always good to get it wrapped up," CSAS coach Mark Dragoo said about clinching first in the district. "We are glad to have that behind us, and now we can concentrate on the postseason and hopefully get ready for that."

Graves got help in the scoring department from multiple teammates, including Miquel Hamilton and Edwards with 12 and 11 points.

Caleb Cravatt scored 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second half for the Golden Eagles. Hossler added 10 points off the bench.

CSAS will host Sale Creek in a nondistrict matchup Friday, when Grace will play at district rival Silverdale Baptist Academy.

Contact Anthony Sigismond at sports@timesfreepress.com.

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