SENECA - A poor fourth quarter cost Warren County Christian School's boys basketball team in its New Penn Christian Conference opener.
Host Christian Life Academy outscored the Lions 14-5 in the final stanza en route to a 39-26 win Friday.
Trailing 16-8 at halftime, Ricky Zortman hit three 3-pointers in a 13-6 third that cut the Lions' deficit to one point.
"Zortman got hot (in the third quarter)," said WCCS coach Steve Zwald. "We didn't do the best job in the fourth quarter getting the ball to him. It was our first game and we were a little rugged. We just got outplayed."
Zortman finished with 13 points with just two coming in the fourth.
Jamie Petrusch scored six points, and teammates Josiah Poindexter, Tyler Keller and Eric Sorenson added buckets, in a 13-12 junior varsity loss.
Fact Box
WCCS (26): Andrew Hammersley 2 0-0 4, Carson Moore 2 0-0 4, Ricky Zortman 5 0-0 13, Josh Wagonseller 1 0-0 3, Tim Hungerford 1 0-2 2, Andrew Laird 0 0-0 0, Chris Root 0 0-0 0, Jamie Petrusch 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 0-2 26.
CLA (39): VanDyke 2 0-0 4, Hepler 5 0-5 13, Manssur 6 1-2 14, Schneider 3 0-0 8. Totals 16 1-7 39.
WCCS 4 4 13 5 - 26
CLA 4 12 6 14 - 39
3-pointers: W-Zortman 3, Wagonseller; C-Hepler 3, Manssur, Schneider 2.