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Connect stayed close thanks to two 3-pointers by small forward Brandon Moore as it trailed by nine at halftime. Connect eventually found a way to feed it inside to 6-foot-5 post Kene Aruh, who scored consistently enough Pickett Rucker sent a double team to get the ball out of his hands.

Point guard Macieo Gaines thwarted Connect’s comeback bid from the free-throw line as he finished with 10 points for Pickett Rucker. Teammate Connor Pelham had a team-high 13 points and Kadarian Garnett added 11.

Aruh led all scorers with 17 for Connect.

First Baptist Watertown 53, Crosspoint 42Connect’s sharpshooting couple of Cody and Emily Dean dropped in seven 3-pointers, including a few early in the first half to trim the halftime deficit to seven.

After not hitting any 3s early in the first half, First Baptist Watertown finally some fall and built a double-figure lead early in the second half. Combo guard Rayquan Verge led Watertown with 25 points.

Cody Dean tossed in 12 points while Emily Dean and Caden Krout each notched nine.

Bethlehem Church of Christ 59, Crossroads Fellowship 44The annual “rivalry� game between these Tuckers Crossroads churches located a half-mile apart was one of runs. Bethlehem jumped to a 16-5 lead.

Following a Crossroads timeout, it went on a 12-0 spurt to take a one-point lead.

Bethlehem battled back to take a six-point lead by halftime.

Crossroads jumped out to an early second-half lead behind small forward Gaven Turner, who led his team with 11 points, including a momentum-shifting two-handed dunk. He led a balanced attack as nine of Crossroads’ 10 players scored.

Bethlehem responded with its all-around team play as all six players who dressed scored at least seven points. Alex Johnson and Mark Sandoval scored at least 13 points while Spencer Savage and Mark Reeves racked up nine each.

Generation Changers 74, Immanuel Baptist 62One of the last two unbeaten teams in the league (Pickett Rucker is the remaining undefeated), Immanuel dropped its second straight, this one to the 2024 champion.

Generation Changers spread the ball around in the first half and aimed its defense at one of the league’s leading scorers, Immanuel’s Caleb Lawrence. This game plan helped GC build a 16-point halftime lead.

But Lawrence got loose in the second half as he scored 16 of his game-high 21 points, including four 3s.

Generation Changers’ Isaac Johnson answered with five second-half triples on his way to 20 points while teammates Kendall Williams (15 points) and Donelson campus pastor Blake Belford (13) pitched in as well.

Cornerstone Baptist-Carthage 59, Maple Hill Church of Christ 55In a battle of two of several teams with 2-2 records, Cornerstone made enough play slate in the game to hold on to its lead. Neither team had a double-figure advantage, though Maple Hill did go ahead in the second half.

Cornerstone stormed back due to the play of forward Benjamin Harwood, who totaled a game-high 29 points.

Maple Hill’s youth minister, Alex Rush, led his team with four triples on his way to 16. He received help from shooting guard Griffin Creswell, who hit two triples in the final few minutes of the game to give him 14 points for the game and give his team a chance to complete a comeback.

But Harwood hit all four of his free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the deal.

The Journey 73, Victory Baptist 43The Journey used an aggressive 2-3 zone to disrupt Victory’s offense early on, forcing turnovers and converting fast-break opportunities.

But once Victory figured out how to break the zone, nine different players ended up scoring, led by point forward Judd Hill’s 14 points.

The Journey also feature a balanced attack as five players reached double figures. Small forward Ethan Fields fired in 21 points while shooting guard Taylor McCollister finished with 15 as each sank five triples.

Providence 66, St. Frances Cabrini 59St. Frances has played better than its winless record indicates all season, losing several in the last two minutes. This week’s final game was no different as it took a 19-4 lead before Providence took a timeout.

Providence began to claw back behind shooting guard Tristan Lamb, who turned in a career day with 30 points.

St. Frances still led by five points at halftime behind post Zach Santana, who led his team with 19 points while midrange maestro Criss Cheatham scored 16 and point guard Josiah Smith 14.

But Lamb got loose for seven 3s, a career high. And once St. Frances ran him off the line, he went inside to knock in 2s, including a floater with a minute left that all but sealed the win.

StandingsPickett Rucker UMC|5-0

Bethlehem Church of Christ|4-1

Providence|4-1

First Baptist Watertown|3-2

Immanuel Baptist|3-2

The Journey|3-2

Cornerstone Baptist-Carthage|3-2

Generation Changers|3-2

Connect|2-3

Maple Hill Church of Christ|2-3

Crossroads Fellowship|2-3

Victory Baptist|1-4

Crosspoint|0-5

St. Frances Cabrini|0-5

Games for March 28(the league is off this week)

Noon, Bethlehem Church of Christ vs. Pickett Rucker UMC

1 p.m., Cornerstone Baptist-Carthage vs. Victory Baptist

2 p.m., The Journey vs. Maple Hill Church of Christ

3 p.m., Crossroads Fellowship vs. Immanuel Baptist

4 p.m., Connect vs. First Baptist Watertown

5 p.m., Providence vs. Generation Changers

6 p.m., Crosspoint vs. St. Frances Cabrini