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Crossroads shooting guard Chasten Dixon dropped in 13 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, including a breakaway dunk.

Bethlehem Church of Christ 48, The Journey 45These teams played a physical game that came down to two missed 3-pointers by The Journey at the end.

Bethlehem controlled the first half with a 2-3 zone to take a 32-22 halftime lead.

But The Journey started the second half with a box-and-one defense on Mark Sandoval, who scored 13 of his team-high 17 in the first half. The tactic worked as Bethlehem had only four made field goals in the second half.

But Bethlehem’s zone survived in bend-but-don’t-break mode as The Journey cut the lead to three with eight seconds left. Director of For the City Ministries Jeff Long missed a 3-pointer that missed long. Director of Young Adults Ministry Hunter Christian collected the rebound but missed his own tying triple as the buzzer sounded.

Christian connected on five 3-pointers for 15 points while Long finished with 14.

Maple Hill Church of Christ 36, Immanuel Baptist 24Both teams consider themselves defensive minded, so this game was played at their pace with Maple Hill leading 18-9 at halftime. Maple Hill’s 6-foot-7 young minister, Alex Rush, turned away numerous shots in the lane, allowing his teammates to play more aggressively up top in their zone.

Rush led Maple Hill with 11 points as Maple Hill relied primarily on the 3 as 24 of its 36 points came from behind the arc.

On the flip side, Immanuel hit only one from downtown. But the team spread the ball around so that seven players scored, led by shooting guard Caleb Lawrence’s seven points.

Providence UMC 51, Pickett Rucker UMC 40The 2022 league champion Providence and the ’23 champs Pickett Rucker hooked up in a meeting of 1-0 teams which saw Providence lead 19-14 at halftime.

Then the offensive pace picked up as Pickett Rucker answered every Providence run, but could never catch up. Pickett Rucker began fouling in the final two minutes and Kyle Gribble helped ice the game with a 7-of-8 showing from the free-throw line. He totaled 22 points while Jordan Hooper had 15.

Austin Hicks’ nine points led Pickett Rucker’s balanced attack.

Connect Church 64, St. Frances Cabrini 62Defending league runner up Connect pulled off the biggest comeback of the young season by rallying from a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes by utilizing a fullcourt press which sped up St. Frances.

St. Frances had built its lead on side scoring from guard Kameron Gilpin’s drives which helped produce 16 points and post Dalton Phillips’ 15.

But Connect had 14 players on hand and used that depth to stay fresh down the stretch. Shooting guard Skyler Crass had 11 of his 13 points in the final eight minutes, including three 3-pointers. Point guard Kenny Wilson had a team-high 14.

Generation Changers 67, First Baptist Watertown 51Defending champion Generation Changers chalked up another win by breaking open a five-point halftime lead in the second half, applying more ball pressure to create transition opportunities for shooting guard Tazz Marbury, who totaled a game-high 26 points. Teammate Breylon Meadows buried four triples on his way to 18.

Ethan Vanhook’s 12 points led Watertown’s balanced attack.

Saturday’s schedule1 p.m. Pickett Rucker vs. St. Frances

2 p.m. Immanuel Baptist vs. Generation Changers

3 p.m. Providence vs. The Journey

4 p.m. Crossroads Fellowship vs. Connect Church

5 p.m. Bethlehem vs. Maple Hill

6 p.m. Cornerstone vs. First Baptist Watertown

Standings

Providence 2-0

Bethlehem Church of Christ 2-0

Generation Changers 2-0

Pickett Rucker UMC 1-1

The Journey 1-1

First Baptist Watertown 1-1

Maple Hill Church of Christ 1-1

Connect Church 1-1

Cornerstone Baptist (Carthage) 1-1

Crossroads Fellowship 0-2

Immanuel Baptist 0-2

St. Frances Cabrini 0-2