University Heights Academy knew they were going to be in for a battle if they were to claim their sixth straight Second Region All-A Classic title. Time and again the Blazers took Livingston Central’s best shot and was able to deliver the knockout punch, downing the Cardinals 78-62 Sunday in Marion.
Twice the Blazers held double-digit leads, only to see the Cardinals battle back to within six points. But the Blazers were able to put the game away early in the fourth quarter, milk some clock at key times, and hit free throws to claim the win.
Livingston Central used a 14-2 run in the first quarter to take a 16-11 lead as the Cardinals used their size to score some buckets in the paint. However, UHA ended the quarter with 12 straight points, and Livingston Central never led again.
The Blazers extended their lead to 39-31 at halftime, and Kyky Tandy scored the first four points of the third quarter to push the lead out to 43-31.
Down 50-35, the Cardinals had one more run left in them as they used an 11-2 run to draw to within 52-46 midway through the quarter. But UHA scored 12 of the next 14 points to take control.
UHA kept Livingston Central at bay by knocking down 14-of-20 free throws in the fourth quarter and 27-of-35 for the game. Livingston hit 10-of-13 at the charity stripe.
Kyky Tandy hit 11-of-19 shots from the field and finished with a game-high 32 points for the Blazers. Freshman K.J. Crump scored seven points in the game’s first three minutes and finished with 16 points and six steals. Drew McGowan hit three of UHA’s six 3-pointers to finish with 15 points, and Quan Hollowell added 13 points and 11 rebounds. UHA only had six turnovers in the contest.
Livingston Central (13-9) got 26 points and eight rebounds from Seth Hosick, who was 10-of-13 from the field. Cameron Dean battled foul trouble to score 14 points, and Cameron Head added nine points. The Cardinals were in the All-A region title game for the first time since 2000 and were shooting for their first region title in program history.
University Heights Academy (13-4) has now won six straight All-A region titles and 23 in program history – more than the other Second Region schools combined. The Blazers will face 11th Region champion Lexington Christian Thursday at 11:30 (ET) in the All-A Classic State Tournament in Richmond. The Eagles (13-6) have won six straight games and won their three region games by an average of 32 points.