The Lions’ senior hit three straight 3-pointers to open the third quarter and “from that point forward, it felt like I was on fire,” he said.
Channels scored a career-high 40 points, including 34 of his team’s 49 points in the second half, as the Lions fought back to beat the Trojans 68-65 on Valentine’s Day, setting the school record for the most points ever scored in an Ohio High School Athletic Association game. Ryan Reep holds the single game record for points in a game with 43, set the season prior to Emmanuel Christian joining the OHSAA in the 2003-04 school year.
Channels went 13-for-21, including 4-for-7 from the 3-point line and 10-for-11 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds, three steals and two assists as the Lions improved to 10-12 overall.
“It was surreal in a way,” Channels said. “It was our last regular season game and I was trying to end it on a good note. It felt like everything I was throwing up in that second half was going in. It was really cool.”
The senior ranks third in the Metro Buckeye Conference in scoring (19.4 points per game), second in rebounding (8.8 pg) and fifth in blocks (1.1 pg). He’s also averaging 2.4 steals and 2.1 assists.
Lions coach Danny Moore knew Channels was close to a big scoring outburst. He’s been held under double-digits twice this year and those two games came in the previous two weeks. He told Channels that he was eventually going to find his groove, even as teams put their focus on keeping him from scoring.
“In the fourth quarter, we were back in (the game) and my assistant looked at me and said, ‘Justus has 30,’ and I’m like ‘What?’ You really didn’t even notice because he was so efficient,” Moore said. “Some players kind of forget that some nights you get in a groove and it just goes. Teams always come at him hard.”
The Lions will face second-seeded Catholic Central in a Division IV first round game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Troy High School. The Irish beat the Lions 55-40 on Dec. 30.
Channels will likely play basketball at the collegiate level next season. His brother, Jason Channels, is a freshman at Heidelberg University.
“(Basketball) has been everything that I needed it to be this year,” Channels siad. “It can be an outlet, therapeutic or just fun. We’ve built a brotherhood throughout the year.”
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