Clark holds off Faith Lutheran in battle of Class 4A basketball powers
Clark’s Drake Afe-Passion came up with a steal with about a minute to play Tuesday night against Faith Lutheran. He drove to the basket, drew a foul and somehow spun and flipped the ball back over his head off the backboard and in.
It was that kind of night for the senior forward.
Afe-Passion didn’t miss a field goal, including the circus shot that led to a three-point play. He finished with 18 points to help Clark, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, to a 70-63 home win.
“I didn’t expect it,” Afe-Passion said of the wild shot and free throw that pushed his team’s lead to 65-57 with 1:09 to play. “It was weird, but it worked.”
Third-ranked Faith Lutheran had cut the lead to 62-57 on a basket by Dashel Wiley, and the Crusaders had the ball and a chance to make it a one-possession game. But Afe-Passion came up with his third steal, and his three-point play sapped any momentum Faith Lutheran had.
“The possession earlier I was on him on the defensive end,” Clark coach Brent Rothman said. “And I think he really responded well. I don’t know if he necessarily responded to the coaching, but I think he responded well to a big moment, stayed focused and was able to help put us away. He had a couple other critical steals, he had a critical tie up late that really helped us seal the win.”
Devan Christion, who has committed to play at Akron, had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Chargers (12-5, 4-0 4A Desert League), who took over first place in the 4A Desert League.
“Devan is our most important player,” Rothman said of his 6-foot-8-inch forward. “He’s a super versatile defender. Just his presence in the lane discourages the other team from driving.”
Christion was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line.
“He was by far our best rebounder tonight,” Rothman said. “That’s what we expect from Devan. Devan’s done that every game just about for us. How he goes is how the team goes.”
Faith Lutheran was its worst enemy early, turning the ball over 10 times in the first quarter. The Chargers turned those miscues into 11 points and took their biggest lead at 27-9 after a basket by Christion with 7:17 to go in the second quarter.
Wiley scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Crusaders’ comeback. But Clark was 12-for-13 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to hold off the rally.
“I’ve got to say it was just patience, really,” Afe-Passion said of the key to holding on late. “You really can’t do anything if you’re just rushing.”
CJ Edwards added 14 points, three assists and three steals for Clark. Afe-Passion was 6-for-6 from the field, including two 3-pointers.
“I just had to be more confident, as coach told me,” Afe-Passion said. “So that’s what I did tonight.”
