SCIOTOVILLE — Five players scored in double figures for Sciotoville East, as the Tartans knocked off Rose Hill Christian (Ky.) 84-55 in interstate non-conference boys basketball action on Thursday evening at East High School.

Amani Brown and Keagan Barker poured in 17 points each, while Carter Roe added 13 points in the win.

Sciotoville’s Norris McKinley and Kaiden Huston chipped in with 12 points apiece — as East improved to 4-6 on the season.

East set the tone at the start, with a Brown layup followed by a nifty steal and layup by McKinley — and then a shake-and-bake move inside for a 6-3 lead.

Huston added a layup, and Barker banked in an inside post shot for the 10-5 advantage.

A Brown three-pointer, and a McKinley step-back fade-away from 12-feet, fueled a 14-0 run in the first period.

“We started the game good,” East head coach Adam Bailey said. “We got off to a good start and created some turnovers and got some easy buckets. When that happens, it puts you in good grove.”

The visiting Royals started the second quarter with a 9-1 run to close the gap to 30-19 — thanks in part to a three-pointer from Christian Blevins, and an offensive rebound for two from Collin Wilburn.

But Bailey called timeout, and that ignited a 13-0 Tartan run to close out the half.

“After the timeout, we got out and ran a bit and picked up the tempo,” he said. “I felt that we were physical tonight and played big.”

Back-to-back Barker buckets and a Brown layup preceded a Huston runner on the baseline — putting the Tartans up 43-19 at the break.

“Shooting around before the game really helped a lot,” Brown said after the win. “Coach showed a lot of faith in me starting as a freshman and I don’t want to let anyone down.”

Brown said the timeout called by Bailey settled the team down.

“We got too overhyped after we scored a lot in the first period,” he added. “We scored a lot and then kind of lost focus. The time out really helped, and we clicked back together.”

McKinley, who was honored before the game and received recognition for his selection to Division VII First Team All-Ohio football, said the defensive intensity was at a high level.

“We bounced back and got into a good defensive stride,” he said. “Unfortunately, this was my last game as a senior and I went out with a banger.”

East kept up the pace in the third, and took control after Barker hit three consecutive three-pointers for the 63-33 lead.

“I hit the first one and it felt really good,” Barker said. “I just got in my head to shoot more, and my teammates got the ball to me. It feels good to get in that zone and have the teammates trust me.”

The Royals, which fell to 4-9, got 28 points from Blevins and 24 points from Wilburn in the loss.

“We executed well early in the game and kept the focus all throughout,” Bailey added. “Sometimes when you have a big lead like this, you have to keep them focused. We handled it pretty well and overall I’m pleased. A lot of kids got to play tonight and see some action and get a chance to score.”

Hayden Conkel finished the game with six points, while Brysen Knighten chipped in with four points and Dylan Fitzgerald added three.

* * *

Rose Hill 10 9 17 19–55

East 29 14 25 16 — 84

ROSE HILL CHRISTIAN 55 (4-9)

Christian Blevins 11 1-1 28, Collin Wilburn 8 6-6 24, Bryant Stephens 0 1-2 1, Dylan Blevins 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 20 8-9 55; Three-point goals: 7 (Christian Blevins 5, Collin Wilburn 2)

EAST 84 (4-6)

Norris McKinley 5 0-0 12, Keagan Barker 7 0-0 17, Dylan Fitzgerald 1 1-1 3, Kaiden Huston 5 1-2 12, Carter Roe 6 1-2 13, Brysen Knighten 2 0-0 4, Amani Brown 7 2-4 17, Hayden Conkel 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 36 5-9 84; Three-point goals: 7 (Keagan Barker 3, Norris McKinley 2, Kaiden Huston and Amani Brown 1 apiece)