Christopher holds off Steeleville at Crab Orchard
<span style="font-weight: 400;">MARION -- The rim giveth and the rim taketh away.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Trailing 48-44 with 1:40 left, Steeleville's Reid Frederking had a chance to cut the Warriors' deficit to a single possession. But what seemed like an easy layup rolled off the back of the rim to Christopher, and the Warriors fouled the Bearcats' Jared Curry five seconds later.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Curry then swished two free throws for a 50-44 Bearcats lead, and Christopher rode the momentum swing to a 58-50 win over Steeleville in Wednesday's semifinals of the Class 1A Crab Orchard Regional.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">"There were a couple layups, a couple wide-open looks that we got at 3's that were just in and out," said Steeleville coach Bryce Bainter. "But that's just basketball.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I thought the kids gave everything they had. Christopher is a very solid team."</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Bradley Young led four Christopher players in double figures with 16 points, while Dusty Sutton and R.J. Smith combined for 21 for Steeleville, but the outcome of the contest was in doubt until the final minute.</span>
In other boys basketball regional action, Chester fell to Du Quoin in a heartbreaker, 42-41, at the Class 2A Trico Regional to end its season at 20-10. See more details on both games in the March 3 edition of the Herald Tribune and Steeleville Ledger.