CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Huntington Prep Kings, one of the top prep schools in West Virginia, traveled to Clarksville Christian School for a matchup with the Lady Centurions in the Centurion Clash tournament on Tuesday. A strong second half from the Centurions, and 37 points from forward Lauren Hassell, powered Clarksville Christian to a 61-36 win.

Early on, the Centurions were on attack mode, getting to the rim and the free-throw line offensively. Clarksville Christian went 8-11 from the line in the first half, including six from Lauren Hassell. Guard Kaydence Kindle also added to the scoring with eight in the first half, but an 11-2 run by the Kings to end the first half cut the lead to one heading into the halftime break.

“We started out rocky, and they were physical with us,” said Centurions head coach Trenton Hassell. “We shoot ourselves in the foot a lot with taking care of the ball, but it’s good for us to play good teams like this that show us where our weaknesses are.”

The second half was a different story. On the defensive end, the 2-3 zone was giving Huntington Prep fits, as they scored only 14 second-half points. Ten of those came from guard Chinaza Ezeani, the Wolves’ leading scorer, who ended the night with 20. On the other end was an absolute clinic from Hassell: consistent baskets, 14 of them on the night, to go along with nine made free throws, and of course 15 rebounds to complete her patented double-double. A close game became a blowout in the second half, with the Centurions running away with a win.

“We were more disciplined on defense, and started to clean the glass really well,” said Hassell. “Our length was really big on the defensive end, and it got to them. Hassell did a great job of making the game simple, playing off the ball, and our team did a great job of finding her when she was open as a cutter.”

Now, the Centurions will get a few days off for the holiday. The message from Coach Hassell to his squad over the break is simple: no basketball.

“I told them not to touch a ball,” said Hassell. “You can get some cardio in, but I want them to get away from it. When we come back, we have some tough tests against good teams that will challenge us. They have played some hard teams, been on the road a lot, so I just want them to enjoy life a little bit.”

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