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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY – With a sour taste lingering after a loss, the Briarwood Christian Lions got rid of it with a decisive win over the Central Volunteers of Clay County.

Briarwood defeated Central-Clay 62-46 on Tuesday, Jan. 14, getting its second win of area play thanks to the impressive performance that was put on by star player Drew Mears.

Things were not all smooth sailing for the Lions however. The first quarter saw Briarwood put up 10 points from four different scorers. Sam Canale led the team with four points in the period, trying to help his team get off to a hot start.

Despite the efforts, fouls on the defensive end were a problem for the Lions as a whole. The Volunteers scored 11 points in the period, with only two of those coming off of a made shot from the field.

Central-Clay went into the second quarter with the one-point lead having shot 12 free throws in the opening eight minutes alone.

Things did not stop there for the Volunteers as more shots began to fall. Kevin Cherry had six of the team’s 13 points in the period, helping propel the momentum into halftime.

Meanwhile, Briarwood attempted to get things going, and did for a moment, as Charlie Caldwell hit a pair of 3-pointers. However, it did not get much going outside of those shots and entered the half trailing 24-20.

That deficit did not last long after the break though, as Mears took complete control. The Lions’ star turned in a couple of 3-point shots to go along with six more points to start the second half. Brayden Robertson and Garrett Witherington each added four of their own, helping Briarwood to a monstrous 24-point third quarter.

At the same time, the Lions prevented Central-Clay from an offensive spark of its own. While the Volunteers scored nine points in the third, it was not enough to prevent all the momentum from switching sides, as Briarwood took a 44-33 lead into the fourth.

Mears continued his takeover in the final eight minutes, putting up seven more points, which included a 3-pointer. Canale also added another 3-pointer, padding the lead even further.

Central-Clay attempted to mount a comeback, hitting three shots from 3-point land. However, the deep range was not enough to make it a game again, giving Briarwood the pass to cruise to the victory and get back in the win column.

Mears led all scorers on the night with 23 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Witherington also reached double figures for the Lions with 10, while Canale had seven. Caldwell and Robertson each added six points, while Tory Smith put up four.

The victory puts Briarwood at 15-7 on the season and 2-1 in Class 5A, Area 8. The Lions will look to improve on the dominant second-half performance on Thursday, Jan. 16 when they face the Shelby County Wildcats at 7:30 p.m.