Sentinels Lose 60-56 to Franklin Prep National at The Border League East

St. Christopher lost 60-56 to Franklin Prep National in preseason play at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center on Friday, with the opponent scoring the game's final seven points after the Sentinels had taken a 56-53 lead on a Kendrick Pulley 3-pointer late in the second half.

The first half belonged to Franklin Prep National, which built its largest lead of 12 behind repeated paint touches. After Sylva Okauru's opening basket, the opponent answered with a 9-0 run and added a pair of 8-2 pushes, and St. Christopher's own 8-2 answer did not close the gap. The Sentinels trailed 33-26 at the break, having turned the ball over seven times against three first-half opponent assists and five opponent steals.

St. Christopher won the second half 30-27 and did it in bursts. After falling behind by 12 again early in the half, the Sentinels put together a 9-0 run on baskets from Dougie Jenkins, Sylva Okauru and Pulley. A later 9-0 stretch came entirely from Brodie Clifton, who hit three consecutive 3-pointers to pull St. Christopher within 47-46. A 10-2 run that included a Brantley Jenkins 3-pointer, a Dougie Jenkins basket and Pulley's go-ahead 3 produced the Sentinels' largest lead of the game at three. Franklin Prep National answered with four straight scores to close it out. There were three lead changes and two ties.

Shot origins told much of the story. St. Christopher took 31 of its 58 attempts from 3-point range and made nine, including 9-of-30 from the wing and top of the key and 0-of-1 from the corner. The Sentinels were 12-of-23 at the rim and in the paint and 1-of-4 from mid-range. Franklin Prep National attempted 41 of its 55 shots at the rim or in the paint and made 23, finishing 2-of-11 from 3. The Sentinels finished with 17 assists against 14 turnovers, with 10 assists coming in the second half.

Okauru and Pulley each scored 13. Okauru shot 6-of-9 at the rim and in the paint, added five defensive rebounds and four blocks, and had six turnovers in 31 minutes, finishing with a team-high efficiency rating of 14. Pulley played 32 minutes with seven assists, four turnovers and a charge drawn, going 3-of-8 from the wing and top and 2-of-2 in the paint. Clifton scored 12 on 4-of-15 from 3-point range in 31 minutes. Dougie Jenkins had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting with three offensive rebounds and two assists. Shreyas Mani added seven points in 14 minutes on 2-of-3 inside and 1-of-3 from distance. Brantley Jenkins scored three in 18 minutes.

St. Christopher continues event play against Massanutten Military Academy on Saturday, October 17.