Cumberland traveled to the state capitol to take on The Frankfort Christian Academy Lions (KHSAA) for an exciting matchup that turned into an overtime win for the Blazers.

Both teams played close in the first quarter with the Lions outscoring the Blazers 16-14. The Lions continued a small lead up to halftime to lead the Blazers 35-28. While Cumberland did put up 16 points in the third, Frankfort still led 53-44 at the end of the quarter.

Normally a man-to-man defensive team, the Blazers swapped back and forth between man and 2-3 defensive sets throughout the game in order to stop by drives by Lions guards Zach Semones and Bailey Ridderickoff. The Blazers started off the forth in the 2-3 but quickly went man-to-man and turned on the full court pressure. Cumberland was able to use these changes and some foul trouble and cramping injuries encountered by Frankfort to cut a 15 point lead with 3 minutes in the forth to a tie ballgame going into overtime. The Blazers wasted no time in the overtime period by scoring off the tip and then moving on to outscore the Lions for a 81-78 final score.

The Blazers ended with four players in double digits. Micah Stargel led Cumberland with a career high 28 points, followed by Tanner Pilarski with 24, Ben Pruette with 13, and Shane Jung with 12. Cameron Mitchell also pitched in 8 key points and multiple rebounds down low.

Semones led the Lions with 30 points and Ridderickoff tossed in 16.

Cumberland (1-3, 0-2) will take Thanksgiving break and be back for conference action as they host Gateway Christian at First Baptist Church in Barbourville on Thursday, November 29, for a 7pm tipoff.

Cumberland Homeschool Athletic Teams, Inc is a 501c3 nonprofit organization designed to provide opportunities for K-12 student athletes to participate in competitive athletics principally in the Cumberland Valley region of Southeast Kentucky.