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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

LEEDS – The Briarwood Christian Lions put together another complete performance in their 61-48 win against the Moody Blue Devils at the MLK Classic at Leeds High School on Monday, Jan. 15.

They earned the victory on the back of another solid performance from Drew Mears, as the sophomore point guard scored 31 of Briarwood’s 61 points in the team’s second-straight win.

Mears scored 10 points in the first quarter alone to help the Lions offense get off to a fast start.

Paired with a couple of three-pointers from Eli Stubbs, Briarwood outpaced Moody on offense and led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Stubbs continued to be a deep shooting threat in the second quarter as he hit another pair of three-pointers to take him into double-figures for the first half.

Mears added six more to his total before halftime to help the Lions score 18 points in the second quarter.

Briarwood extended its lead by nine to 34-21 at halftime thanks to an improved defensive effort that held the Blue Devils to nine points in the second.

The Lions defense continued working hard in the third quarter and for the second-straight quarter, they only allowed nine points from Moody.

That gave Briarwood the chance to answer on offense with eight points from Mears and four from Garrett Witherington, and after a 14-point third quarter, the Lions had a commanding 48-30 lead.

While the Blue Devils found their offense in the fourth quarter and outscored Briarwood 18-13 in the final eight minutes of the game, it would not be enough to overcome the deficit, and the Lions finished off the 13-point win.

In addition to Mears’ 31 points, Stubbs had a strong showing while shooting the ball as well, as he scored 16 points, including his four three-pointers in the first half. Witherington also scored six points in the win.

Briarwood will look to continue their recent success into area play as it looks to sweep the regular season series against Pelham on Wednesday, Jan. 17. The teams will tip off at 7:30 p.m. at Pelham High School after the game was pushed back one day due to both schools cancelling classes on Tuesday, Jan. 16.