WHEELING — As the No. 2 Trinity Christian boys’ basketball team took the floor Saturday night, there wasn’t a player on the roster that could remember the last time the Warriors had beaten No. 1 Wheeling Central Catholic.
Thirty-two minutes later, that had changed.
The Warriors (7-0) downed the Maroon Knights 64-56 at on a neutral floor at Wheeling Jesuit University to stay undefeated and capture the 2018 Undo’s Holiday Tournament Championship.
“For our program, this is a huge win. I don’t know the last time Trinity has beaten Wheeling Central, and to beat them in their own holiday tournament, that’s pretty significant. They don’t lose in this tournament,” coach John Fowkes said.
The Warriors trailed 44-39 with six minutes remaining in the game after a 12-3 Central run to open the final quarter. Trinity called a timeout to re-group and returned to the court firing on all cylinders, doubling the Maroon Knight’s’ offensive production during the final stretch of action.
“Wheeling Central makes runs, but so does Trinity. We knew it was coming — two good teams, number one and number two, going against each other,” Fowkes said. “It was a back-and-forth battle, and it’s a special win.”
Senior Briston Bennett led the Warriors with 28 points.
