STORY -- Hilltop Christian @ Faith

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on December 11, 2016 1:45 AM

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En fuego.

Albeit cliché, the oft-used catch phrase was bottled Friday night by Hilltop Christian guard Zeke Lee, whose lightning-quick, 34-point bucket reel prompted the Chargers to a 68-42 victory over host Faith Christian Academy.

And the fireworks started early.

Lee's triple from the right wing opened the game's scoring and motivated Hilltop's quick start, only to see Faith respond with a pair of its own from downtown by junior Spencer Millen.

The game's pace labored through a polar opposite second stanza, as both teams struggled to convert opportunities in the paint and clean looks beyond the arc. In total, the units combined to make just nine field goals in the period.

At the break, Hilltop held a slim 28-23 advantage.

"I couldn't have been more pleased with our first half," Faith head coach Stephen Hardison said. "But the third quarter... Hilltop made adjustments, and it took us a while to figure them out."

And by that point, the issue had been decided.

Buoyed by the probing speed dribble of senior point guard Christian Crawford, Hilltop (9-2 overall) went ballistic in the third quarter, scoring 21 points in a rapid-fire outburst that both stunned and stifled the hosts. Time and again, Crawford splashed the lane and created wide-open opportunities for the Chargers -- especially Lee, who turned the stanza into a distance-dialing shooting drill.

There was a garden-variety attempt near the key to start the run.

Then another splash from the wing.

Then there was the uprising's signature moment, a ridiculous catch-and-shoot rainbow from what appeared to be the last seat on the Hilltop bench.

Done and done.

The Conquerors refused to go quietly, however, battling mightily on each possession over the final eight minutes and showing the gritty resolve that made the ball game close through the opening half.

"I told them, that first half of basketball -- and parts of the second -- was the best I've seen them play against good competition," Hardison said of his bunch. "But Hilltop is a good team. No. 15 (Crawford) is their leader, and Zeke can light it up."

Voeller buried two more triples in the fourth to lead Faith Christian with 12 points. Millen's 11-point night included a trio of treys, while lead guard Jeremiah Benson finished with seven points.

Alex Watson and forward Ethan Glover combined for eight points, and were joined in the official scorebook by Dail Spence and Dylan Downey, who registered two apiece.

Faith Christian (1-5) travels to Trinity Christian-Greenville on Friday.