The Atmore Christian School Rams improved their record to 5-13 Thursday night with a 45-40 win over Calvary Christian.

The Rams dominated the first half of play scoring 15 points in the first and second quarters to take a 30-16 halftime lead.

“We played pretty well in the first half,” said coach Tim Battles. “Our play was consistent on both ends of the floor. It was probably the best half of basketball we played all year.”

The Rams held a 36-18 lead in the third quarter before Calvary mounted a comeback attempt.

“We got a little antsy on offense and they had some good things happen,” Battles said. “We got a little tight. Shots didn’t go down as nicely.”
With 3:30 left in the game, Kyle Kersey hit an open jumper to give the Rams a 39-31 lead.

“He got a really good look, knocked it down and put us up by eight,” Battles said. “We had seven points in the second half up to that point.”

The Rams struggled from the foul line early in the game, hitting just two of 16 attempts until the final two minutes of the game, Battles said.

The Rams hit six-of-eight from the charity stripe with the game on the line. Malik Jones went four-for-four during this stretch and William Swartzendruber went two-for-two with the game still in doubt.

Jones led the team within 17 points, while Swartzendruber added 11 in the win.

In action from Tuesday, ACS lost 50-30 to Central Christian School.

Jones led the team with 18 points in the losing effort.

The Rams will host S.L. Jones Thursday and will host Cedar Lake Friday for senior night. Both games start at 5:30 p.m.