Providence Christian Boys Win Class A Preliminary (Video)

Injury depleted Providence Christian used a balanced attack Tuesday night to beat visiting Athens Academy 66-52 in a Class A boys basketball preliminary game.

The Stars (20-9) advanced to this weekend's first round of the state tournament by having five players score in double figures and pulling away in the final four minutes of the tightly played game.

Nikko Cormier scored nine of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, including seven straight free throws. Luke Underwood and Alan Skinner scored 12 points each, and Peter Hage and Charlie Scott added 10 apiece.

Providence, which will play Wilkinson County in the first round, probably Saturday, played without injured starters Nate Bucher (knee) and Kareem Adekunle (groin), both of whom might be ready to play against Wilkinson.

"We knew we were playing short-handed and we had to prepare that way," Providence Christian coach Ivan Iverson said. "We made enough plays to win, but we've got to clean up a lot of things if we want to compete against Wilkinson."

The Stars needed a late-game spurt to get past Athens Academy (14-14).

Providence led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but the Spartans came back strong after halftime.

Athens used a 9-2 run midway in the third to pull within 36-35, and then took its only lead of the game at 43-42 on Kalupe Booze's basket with 7:15 left in the fourth. Booze scored a game-high 18 point.

But Providence quickly re-took control. After the score was tied 46-46, the Stars scored the next eight points and never looked back. Hage's basket and free throw off a nice feed by Brent Hansen made it 54-46 with 2:40 left, and Cormier's basket and free throw made it 59-49 and put the game away with 1:11 on the clock.

Cormier scored the game's final six points from the free-throw line.

"Defensively, we kind of lost focus [during Athens Academy's comeback]," Iverson said. "But we have to played well defensively if we want to play like the team we're capable of being."