Trinity Catholic boys hold off Central Christian rally for 50-46 victory

Trinity Catholic High School's boys basketball team held off a late rally by Wichita Central Christian to claim a 50-46 victory Tuesday.

The Celtics and Lions played with intensity throughout, maintaining a high energy level from start to finish.

Central Christian jumped out to an early six-point lead, with senior Ben Patrick using his height advantage under the rim. The Celtics worked to attack the basket and cut the deficit to four points by the end of the quarter.

In the second quarter, Trinity Catholic went on a scoring run that included 3-pointers from senior Alex Guajardo, senior Cameron Kiser and junior Lucas Griffith. The run turned a four-point deficit into a six-point advantage by the midpoint of the quarter. Central Christian battled back, and the half ended with Trinity Catholic leading 31-29.

Both defenses stepped up at the beginning of the third quarter after the scoring streaks at the end of the first half. The teams stayed close, and the period ended tied at 39-39.

By the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Celtics had gained a five-point lead. With no shot clock in play, Trinity Catholic went into a passing offense to run out the time. Central Christian used its fouls to break up the Celtics' possessions and send them to the free-throw line. Trinity Catholic went 4-of-8 from the line in the final three minutes. Guajardo contributed a 3-pointer to help maintain the Celtics' lead.

Kiser led the scoring for Trinity Catholic with 18 points. Guajardo added 12 points. Junior Jace Luckner and Patrick led the scoring for Central Christian. The victory improved Trinity Catholic's record to 5-11, while the loss dropped Central Christian to 4-12.

Trinity Catholic's next game is at Sedgwick on Friday. The Celtics' next home game is against Moundridge on Feb. 19.