LASKER – After a sluggish first half, Community Christian poured it on the second, coming close to upsetting Ridgecroft School before falling, 66-63.

Josh Morris scored 23 points to lead all scorers in the second game of Friday night’s action at the Greater Lasker Shootout.

Logan Kinlaw added 22 in the win.

Morris and Austin Britton scored at the start of the first to give the Rams a 4-0 advantage.

Community Christian scored eight unanswered points to take the lead. Ethan Phelps’s bucket ended the scoring run and the Rams scored the next nine points, retaking the lead, 15-8.

Caleb Varnell hit four foul shots to pull the Crusaders within three.

Britton scored a basket and Kinlaw hit three consecutive shots from beyond the arc, extending the Rams lead to 14 (26-12) in the second quarter.

The Crusaders chipped away at the Rams lead, but two Cade Larabee treys and another three from Miles Newbern helped keep Ridgecroft ahead by 19 (39-20) at the half.

With their two top scorers in foul trouble with three fouls apiece the Crusaders managed 14 points in the third.

The Rams scored 15, including 10 from Morris, to maintain a double digit lead (54-34).

Varnell made a free throw in between two Morris baskets.

The Crusaders scored six straight, capped by a fading jumper from Jordan Liles to pull within 17 (58-41).

Following a Neal Howard basket Community Christian scored 12 unanswered points, four coming after Rams turnovers, cutting the lead to nine (60-53).

Two buckets from Kinlaw were answered by a deuce from Daniel Mercer and Aaron Ocampo trey, pulling the Cruasaders within six (64-58) with 40 seconds on the clock.

Ocampo made two free throws and added one before stealing the inbounds pass and making the basket to pull the Crusaders within one (64-63).

Phelps scored a bucket with less than a second remaining to secure the Ridgecroft win, 66-63.

Ridgecroft (66):

Josh Morris- 23, Logan Kinlaw n 22, Cade Larabee n 6, Austin Britton n 4, Ethan Phelps n 4, Miles Newbern n 3, Dillon Lowe n 2, Neal Howard n 2

Community (64):

Edward Holmes n 14, Caleb Varnell n 13, Diamond Steele n 9, Aaron Ocampo n 9, Conner Webb n 6, Jordan Liles n 6, Daniel Mercer n 4, John Burt – 2