HUNTSVILLE -- Caleb Kirk grabbed a towel and wiped his face, then took a long drink from a water bottle.
Midway through the third quarter, Kirk's night was complete after he stepped back and drained a 3-pointer from the left perimeter.
How They Scored
Girls
Huntsville 56, Shiloh Christian 29
Shiloh Christian^10^6^5^8^—^29
Huntsville^17^14^21^4^—^56
Shiloh Christian (0-10, 0-2): Ruiz 11, Adams 7, Breeding 6, Cobb 3, Barnes 2.
Huntsville (8-4, 1-1): Campbell 17, McCartney 14, Creek 12, Tipton 6, Jones 5, Sone 2.
Boys
Huntsville 60, Shiloh Christian 35
Shiloh Christian^9^6^10^10^—^35
Huntsville^20^14^22^4^—^60
Shiloh Christian (2-8, 1-1): Ney 12, Callahan 10, Tune 5, Foster 4, Lowe 2, Jurik 2.
Huntsville (12-1, 2-0): Kirk 23, Aguilar 10, Gosvener 10, Eaton 5, Cain 5, Garrett 3, Barton 2, Hawthorn 2.
Kirk, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the third quarter as Huntsville rolled to a 60-35 win against Shiloh Christian in Charles Berry Gymnasium on Friday in 4A-1 Conference action.
"He's a pretty good player," Huntsville coach Jim Stafford said. "He was about 6-2 last year, and he's 6-5 this year. He's really doing a nice job for us."
Shiloh Christian (2-8, 1-1 4A-1) could not contain the Huntsville duo of Kirk and 6-4 senior Jose Aguilar in the first half. Kirk and Aguilar combined for 12 of Huntsville's 20 first-quarter points as the Eagles (12-1, 2-0) raced to a 20-9 lead in the opening eight minutes.
"We just didn't have an answer for their bigs," Shiloh Christian coach Brent Hester said. "When they put Kirk down there, we didn't have anybody who could match his size and athleticism."
The Eagles had three players score in double figures as Aguilar and junior guard River Gosvener each scored 10 points to back Kirk's game-high 25. It was Gosvener in the second quarter that inflicted most of his damage as he drive the lane for three layups to help Huntsville to a 34-15 lead at halftime.
Shiloh Christian played somewhat short-handed with several players still out on a mission trip. The Saints showed some flashes as junior guard Smith Ney hit three 3-pointers and led the team with 12 points.
But Kirk was next to unstoppable in the third quarter. Twice he posted up down low and hit two spinning layups and drew fouls each time. He hit both free throws to complete the three-point plays that invoked the 30-point Arkansas Activities Association mercy rule.
The Eagles are off to a fast start, but the veteran coach still sees areas the team needs to work on moving forward.
"We can improve on a lot of things," Stafford said. "One thing, we've not shot it well from the perimeter yet like I thing we can. We've worked hard on that and hopefully we're going to get better."
The Eagles will be off next week and return to action in the Ozark Tournament. Shiloh Christian will return to action in the Siloam Springs tournament after the holiday break.
Girls
Huntsville 56, Shiloh Christian 29
The Lady Eagles took control in the second quarter and never looked back to even their conference record at 1-1.
Miranda Campbell led Huntsville (8-4, 1-1) with 17 points. Shelbi McCartney added 14 and Cierra Creek 12 for the Lady Eagles.
Kendyl Ruiz led Shiloh Christian (0-10, 0-2) with 11 points.
Sports on 12/20/2014