Redding Christian boys basketball has tough game against Biggs

The Biggs boys basketball team got 19 points from sophomore post Skyler Longs in a 60-45 win over Redding Christian on Saturday in the Northern Section Division VI finals at Shasta College.

The (22-5) Wolverines also got 14 points from senior Chase McLean and 10 from Chris Kroupa.

Redding Christian (17-8) had a trio in double figures as Max Beasley and freshman Micah Skinner each had 12 and fellow freshman Darren Goodman added 11.

Biggs turned a tight game midway through the first quarter into a 17-8 edge after one period thanks to a 12-4 run.

Up 5-4 at the quarter’s midway point, Longs hit down low before Kroupa added a bucket. Goodman hit in the paint for RC before McLean hit one of two free throws and Emilio Vera canned a 3-pointer. McLean and David Ibarra each knocked down field goals before the end of the quarter for the nine-point edge.

The Wolverines bumped the lead to 14 at intermission, 34-20, again outscoring the Lions 17-10 in the second quarter.

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“I thought they (Biggs) played well,” Redding Christian coach Todd Dwyer said. “They lost the football section final and it looked like they had something to prove.”

RC twice cut the Biggs lead to 10 in the third period, first on a pair of free throws from the freshman Goodman and two minutes later on a bucket in the paint from Goodman.

“We couldn’t get it (the deficit) less than 8 or 10 and they rode it until the end,” Dwyer said. “We didn’t respond well (early). We got down and didn’t seem to have an answer.”

Part of the problem for the Lions was Biggs’ zone defense. Redding Christian had to be patient in attacking the 2-3 zone, something that worked to the advantage of the Wolverines as their lead held above 10 and time drained from the clock.

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“We didn’t seem to have that sense of urgency,” Dwyer said of trying to trim the lead in the fourth quarter. “We were slow to get in transition and push the ball and struggled to get back in it. Give them credit.”

But RC sliced the lead to 46-36 heading to the final eight minutes; however, Biggs came out hot at the start of the period, with Longs hitting a bucket, but missing the and-one free throw. After two Redding Christian fouls, McLean found the bottom of the net for a 50-36 lead less than two minutes into the fourth.

Biggs would build the lead to 52-37 on a Longs basket before Skinner hit a triple. But consecutive baskets by Vera and McLean put the game out of reach.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding Christian boys basketball has tough game against Biggs