Lady Eagles shot down by Bulldogs</p><p>The Summit Christian Academy girls kept up with Odessa through most of the first quarter in the consolation semifinals of the Pleasant Hill Invitational Jan. 11. </p><p>But that all changed with a 10-0 run from the Bulldogs en route to a 35-24 victory over the Eagles. </p><p>No. 7 seeded Summit Christian Academy had a 7-6 advantage before the run that went through the end of the first quarter and into the second. With No. 6 seeded Odessa ahead at 16-7, Brittany Branaman hit two free throws for the Eagles. But Odessa responded with a three-pointer and a basket to lead 21-9. </p><p>The Eagles fought back with three-pointer by Kimber Grindstaff, a free throw from Jessa Kliewer and a basket by Brooke Jacobson to edge closer at 21-14. The Bulldogs put in another shot before halftime to take a 23-14 lead.</p><p>Odessa just outscored Summit Christian Academy 6-4 in the third quarter to keep a 29-18 lead. In the fourth quarter, both teams put in six points. The Eagles&#x92; points came from two baskets by Rachel Bacon and a shot from Branaman. </p><p>Branaman led Summit Christian Academy in scoring with six points. Bacon, Jacobson and Mariu Bottazzi had four points each. Kliewer and Grindstaff both added three points.</p><p>The Eagles take on No. 8 seeded Belton at 4:30 p.m. today in the seventh place contest. </p><p>The shot that counts: Boys slip past Belton in final seconds</p><p>Henry Stratton&#x92;s shot fired up the small crowd in the gym of the first round game of the Pleasant Hill Invitational Jan. 10. </p><p>The Summit Christian Academy junior forward hit a jump shot with just a few seconds remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, enough to lift the Eagles over Belton for a 46-44 victory.</p><p>The beginning of the game was a different story. The No. 2 seeded Pirates came out of the gate in the first four minutes hitting shot after shot, taking a 9-0 lead. But the No. 7 seeded Eagles, after calming their initial nerves, came firing right back to edge the score at 18-14 going into the second quarter.</p><p>&#x93;The guys are very disappointed in how they performed,&#x94; Belton head coach Greg Martin said. &#x93;We played very flat after the first four minutes and shot the ball poorly in the second half. The guys just didn&#x92;t play with the explosiveness and crispness that they are capable. Give SCA credit, they made the plays down the stretch to beat us and they earned the right to play in the semifinals.&#x94;</p><p>Summit Christian Academy took its first lead of the game late in the second quarter as sophomore guard Taurin Hughes hit a shot then a three-pointer to give the Eagles a 24-22 advantage. Belton fought back to take a 26-24 lead at halftime.</p><p>&#x93;We came out with no energy and a little intimidated,&#x94; Summit Christian Academy head coach Jake Kates said. &#x93;It was tough starting a game at 9 p.m., but both teams had to. We finally got it going with our defense. The kids played hard and never quit. That has been our M.O. for the year. I thought we battled hard on the boards. It was a big win for us.&#x94;</p><p>Both teams scored eight points in the third quarter, keeping Belton ahead at 34-32. But in the start of the fourth quarter, the Eagles got a basket each from senior guard Brett Rothaus and junior guard Garrett Gibson to lead 36-34. Belton tied up the score with a shot from junior forward Caleb Padgett. Then later took a 42-38 advantage with two more baskets from Simmons and two points from Ward. </p><p>The Eagles weren&#x92;t ready to give up though, tying up the score and then taking a lead 44-42 with a basket from Stratton. But Belton&#x92;s Ward was fouled and sunk both free throws to knot the score at 44-44 with less than a minute left in play.</p><p>Hughes took the ball down the court but got caught up by Belton senior guard Joston Branch. Branch stole the ball away, but the whistle blew as Kates called a timeout right before the steal with 40.1 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles couldn&#x92;t score though and Belton took the ball to its end of the court. The Eagles fouled, giving the Pirates a throw-in on the sidelines. But Summit Christian Academy&#x92;s defense won, as Belton&#x92;s five seconds for the throw-in expired, giving the Eagles the ball with 27.7 seconds left.</p><p>Summit Christian Academy set up the shot and Stratton took it, giving the Eagles their 46-44 win with just 2.9 seconds left in the game, not enough time for Belton to get down the court and send the game into overtime.</p><p>&#x93;The key is how these guys respond to the setback,&#x94; Martin said. &#x93;Right now we are seeing the true character of the individuals of this team, which adversity always brings out. This is a defining moment for the direction and success of this team. We will see who and what kind of leadership we have and how they rally together. We may not have a shot at winning this tournament title, but there is still a lot of season and achievements out there for them to go get.&#x94;</p><p>With the victory, the Eagles move to a 7-7 record and to the semifinal game Thursday against No. 3 seeded Pleasant Hill. If Summit Christian Academy wins, the Eagles will play in the championship game at 7 p.m. Jan. 14.