By By EUGENE L. TINKLEPAUGH, Staff Writer
MERRY HILL — The Terra Ceia Knights were crowned in championship performances Saturday.
The boys, battling back from a 10-point deficit, won the game in overtime over a hungry Ridgecroft Rams club, 78-75.
With the lady Knights’ championship win over Hobgood, 49-41, Terra Ceia could get a bye from the first round of the state playoffs. The boys likely will have a playoff play-in game Tuesday at Terra Ceia.
Freshman Mychal Parker led the Knights with 26 points, all but five of which came in the middle quarters of play when Terra Ceia was in a big hole after a jittery start.
Ridgecroft’s Chris Hill, left hand in a cast, managed a phenomenal night, scoring 35 points to keep the Rams momentum up.
The Knights hit less than 50 percent of its foul shots, but plentiful foul calls worked to Terra Ceia’s advantage in the last moments of play.
What should have been a final tie-breaking three-point attempt by Hill with 3 seconds in OT instead went to Ridgecroft’s sixth-man after two Rams players — Hill and Josh Morris — fouled out of the game.
Down by 10 in the first half, Klaassan said at that point the Knights got a reality check.
The first three quarters of the girls match was anybody’s ball game, but the lady Knights pulled away in the final period.
Jordan Cantrell led the team with 16 points and five assists. The team’s three perimeter players each netted four steals a piece, which was a difference maker in the game.
Coach Cantrell said his girls were looking to “shock the world” in the state playoffs.
Ridgecroft 15 11 20 23 6 — 75
Terra Ceia 9 16 21 23 9 — 78
Ridgecroft (75)
Chris Hill 35, Bryan Britton 15, Josh Morris 10, Jones 8, Byrum 6, Alexander 1.
Terra Ceia (78)
Mychal Parker 26, Hendrik Van Dorp 17, Bradley Van Staalduinen 15, Derek Joyner 12, Snow 6.
Girls
Hobgood 8 9 11 13 — 41
Terra Ceia 10 13 8 18 — 49
Hobgood (41)
Morgan Clark 13, Jamie Vanderford 12, Roberson 9, Smith 5, McDowell 2.
Terra Ceia (49)
Jordan Cantrell 16, Laura Van Essendelft 10, Mariah Van Essendelft 10, Van Vuren 8, Van Essendelft 4, Van Staalduinen 1.