The Dillon Christian School Warriors continued their win streak on Friday as they defeated The King’s Academy 59-49 on the road.
The Warriors jumped out to an early lead, going 23-11 in the first quarter, but the Lions rallied in the second to add 13 points to the Warriors’ seven. Dillon Christian was up by three near the end of the first half, and with only a few seconds left, Dorrian Sellers caught an offensive rebound and passed to Kin Melvin for a three pointer at the buzzer, allowing the Warriors to carry a six-point lead into half-time with a score of 30-24.
“Intense ball pressure in the first quarter gave us a huge lead,” said Coach Brian Fitzgerald. “But foul trouble plagued us in the second half.”
The Warriors earned a total of 16 team fouls in the second half, with Matthew Price fouling out in the fourth quarter and Will Brown, Landry Collins, Neil Melvin, and Tyler Davis each earning four fouls of their own. As a result, the Lions shot 23 free throws with 14 points scored, allowing them to stay in the game and cut the Warrior lead to just four points with three minutes left in the game. But the Warriors managed to pull out the win, outscoring TKA 13-9 in the third and edging the Lions 16-15 in the fourth for the final score of 59-49.
Kin Melvin led the Warriors with a game-high 22 points. He made five rebounds and four steals in the win. Neil Melvin added 14 points with six rebounds and two blocks.
Tyler Davis and Jeremiah Cribb each earned eight points for the Warriors. Davis grabbed five rebounds and made four blocks, while Cribb made three steals. Will Brown contributed six points and made three steals in the win, and Matthew Price earned one point with eight rebounds. Dorian Sellers grabbed two rebounds and Landry Collins made one steal.
The Warriors made 10 out of 22 free throws, 17 of 38 goals, and five of 19 three-point attempts.
Christopher Dean led The King’s Academy with 13 points and Ryan Towler scored 12, with Zac Clements adding eight.
Dillon Christian School improves to 3-5 overall and 2-1 in SCISA Region 4-AA, while The King’s Academy falls to 2-4.
Next up, the Warriors are scheduled to travel to Marlboro Academy on Friday, December 16th for their final game before the Christmas break. Junior varsity girls and boys action is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. with the varsity girls and boys following after.
The Warriors will return from the break on Tuesday, January 3, when they are scheduled to host Robert E. Lee.