Heritage Christian Academy saw their chance to salvage a season split with Oak Ridge Christian fade in the final minutes as the Warriors dropped a 55-53 KCAA Region 1 decision in Morgantown Tuesday.
HCA led for most of the game but was outscored 12-8 in the fourth quarter by Oak Ridge. The Warriors scored 35 points in the first half but just 18 points in the second half.
Also not helping the Warrior cause was a 15-of-21 night at the charity stripe by Oak Ridge compared to 9-of-13 for HCA.
Dalton Folz scored 17 points and had 15 rebounds for HCA. He scored a fourth quarter bucket that saw him pass the 1,000-point mark for his career. He becomes the second Warrior to top 1,000 career points this year.
Gavin Fowler, who reached the 1,000-point milestone earlier this season, scored 23 points. Rajah Mills added nine points and five assists.
Colton Bratcher led Oak Ridge Christian with 17 points.
Heritage Christian entered the game ranked third in the latest KCAA Power Poll, while Oak Ridge was ranked eighth despite a 54-47 win over the Warriors Jan. 8 in Hopkinsville.
The win means Oak Ridge gets a first round bye in the Region One Tournament, while HCA will be the No. 2 seed and play Bethel in a first round game.
HCA (16-7) will play at Northside Baptist Thursday in Mayfield.