Blackhawk Christian used a double double from 6'8 sophomore Kellen Pickett to win their season opener 72-61 over North Side Tuesday night. Pickett was one of three Braves in double figures as Blackhawk Christian led wire to wire.

It was fitting that on the night Blackhawk Christian dedicated their court in honor of late coach Marc Davidson, the first points scored on Marc Davidson court would come off the hand of his son, Jimmy Davidson. It was the play of the sophomore Pickett early on who helped the Braves get out to an advantage. The forward sprung free for a triple from the corner, then on the next possession drove baseline and finished through a North Side defender for a three point play. He would go on to score eight points in the opening period as the Braves held a three point lead.

It was all Blackhawk Christian in the second period, as the Braves doubled up their visitors 18-9 in the second stanza. Isaac Smith would help the home side extend their lead thanks to sinking three three pointers in the quarter. Tae Johnson kept North Side with in striking distance, scoring five of their nine points in the second and assisting on another bucket. His length and quickness on defense also forced multiple Blackhawk Christian turnovers. The result was a 12 point lead for Blackhawk heading into the locker room.

The leading scorer off last year's Braves team, Gage Sefton, struggled in the first half, picking up two quick fouls and sitting for a majority of the first 16 minutes. But it was a complete effort from the Braves to pick up the slack. Senior guard Aiden Muldoon gave good minutes off the bench, hitting a three and finding teammates as a set up man. North Side would go deep into their bench for answers, with Bravon Bassett scoring five of his team's 12 bench points, but there simply was not enough help for junior guard Tae Johnson.

The national football prospect as a wide receiver showed his athleticism all night long, filling up the stat sheet with 21 points, seven assists, and six steals. He was the only Legend in double figures, as the next highest scorer was Jaxson Fugate, who finished with nine points on a trio of shots behind the arc. Johnson would score 10 of his 21 in the fourth, trying to will his team back into the game.

In the end, perimeter shooting was the downfall of North Side. Only five of their 26 shots from behind the arc found the bottom of the net, while the Braves managed to hit half of their three point attempts, going 8-16, with Pickett registering a perfect three for three night from deep.

Blackhawk starts 1-0 on the year and will face an athletic New Haven squad on Friday, while North Side falls to 0-2 and will face Dekalb in their home opener on Friday.


North Side: Tae Johnson 21 points (8/16 FGs, 1/7 3Ps, 4/6 FTs), 3 rebs, 7 asts, 6 stls; Jaxson Fugate 9 points (3/8 3Ps), 3 rebs; Jordan Green 8 points (4/10 FGs), 3 rebs, 2 asts; Bohde Dickerson 7 points (2/4 FGs, 3/4 FTs), 2 stls; Bravon Bassett 5 points (2/3 FGs, 1/1 3Ps), 2 asts; Jordan King 4 points (1/1 FGs, 2/2 FTs), 2 rebs; Javion Davenport 4 points (2/4 FGs); Eugene Young Jr 3 points (1/1 FGs, 1/4 FTs), 3 rebs

Blackhawk Christian: Kellen Pickett 24 points (9/15 FGs, 3/3 3Ps, 3/5 FTs), 10 rebs, 2 asts; Isaac Smith 15 points (4/9 3Ps, 3/4 FTs), 2 rebs; Gage Sefton 10 points (2/3 FGs, 6/8 FTs), 6 rebs, 3 asts; Jimmy Davidson 9 points (4/10 FGs, 1/2 FTs), 8 rebs, 4 asts; Aiden Muldoon 3 points (1/2 3Ps), 5 rebs, 3 asts; Will Guthrie 2 points (1/1 FGs)