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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

NORTH SHELBY – The Briarwood Christian Lions once again got the better of the Woodlawn Colonels as they extended their win streak to three in a row ahead of the start of area play.

Briarwood defeated Woodlawn 60-44 on Friday, Jan. 3 at Briarwood Christian School to sweep the season series between the two Birmingham-area programs.

The Lions came out of the gate shooting the ball well from deep as Drew Mears knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in addition to makes from Eli Stubbs and Sam Canale.

Mears dropped eight points in the first quarter and Stubbs had five during that stretch to help Briarwood establish a 16-7 lead at the end of the period.

The deep balls kept coming in the second quarter as Charlie Caldwell and Tory Smith got in on the 3-point party with their first baskets of the night, with Caldwell making two 3-pointers. Mears added his third 3-pointer of the half to get into double figures.

Those shots proved crucial to extending their lead to double digits as Woodlawn got more baskets to fall in the second quarter. The Lions took a 31-20 lead into the halftime break.

The Colonels’ offensive momentum continued into the third quarter as they matched Briarwood blow for blow in the opening eight minutes of the half.

However, the Lions continued to knock down shots all around the court to not allow the visitors to chip into the lead much, and just like at halftime, they also went into the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead.

From there, Briarwood pulled away in the fourth quarter, using their double-digit advantage to keep Woodlawn out of reach while still scoring frequently. Brayden Robertson scored six points in the fourth to get into double figures and Mears capped off his day with five more points.

Those performances put the finishing touches on a 16-point victory to keep the Lions’ winning ways going.

Mears once again led the team with 19 points and Robertson joined him in double figures with 11 points. Canale scored eight points, Stubbs had seven points and Smith and Caldwell each finished with six points in the win.

Next up for 11-6 Briarwood is a trip to Shelby County High School to face the Wildcats in the opening matchup of Class 5A, Area 8 play on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.