Rapid City Christian senior guard Payton Causey drives for two points in the first quarter of Friday night's win over Hill City.

Rapid City Christian junior Sam Schlabach is fouled as he drives to the basket Friday night against Hill City.

Rapid City Christian boys' basketball coach Kyle Courtney couldnt have asked for much more from his Comets during their 80-27 win over Hill City Friday night at Hart Ranch.

Courtneys squad played tough, pressing defense, forcing 15 first-half turnovers to take early control of the game. Christian was efficient with its shots and unselfish on the offensive end of the floor, with 10 Comets reaching the scoring column against a young Rangers squad.

By the time the game wrapped up, Christian had a fourth quality all-court game under its belt heading into a tough stretch of contests over the next two-plus weeks that starts Jan. 9 at Wall and ends Jan. 21 with a home game with Red Cloud. In between, the Comets will face Madison in a make-up game lost in December due to inclement weather.

Were a pretty veteran group, Courtney said. My starting five have been playing varsity ball for a while now, and weve got some good young players. Weve got some ability. The challenge is always playing up to your potential.

The Comets made it look easy Friday.

A stifling press and the ability to play both zone and man defenses interchangeably kept the Rangers from getting into their offensive sets most trips down the floor. Eight turnovers in the first quarter led to a 24-7 lead by the end of eight minutes of play. Christian turned over Hill City seven more times in the second quarter and led 45-10 at halftime.

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Balanced Comets sparkle in win over Rangers - Rapid City Journal