Eudora ? Led by Elijah Penny, Veritas Christian’s boys basketball team rolled past Flint Hills Christian, 40-23, on Friday night.

Penny led all scorers with 19 points.

Both teams struggled to score in the first half due to stifling zone defense. Veritas took a 17-10 lead into intermission.

After halftime, Veritas switched to a man-to-man defense, a move coach Gary Hammer said changed the pace of game. The Eagles began pulling away midway through the third.

“Sometimes in the zone you tend to stand around, relax, and get lazy, and in the first half, that’s what was happening,” Hammer said.

The Eagles continued to feed Penny to start the final quarter, and he hit three straight shots and a couple of free throws to extend the lead.

Nate and Ethan Scott, twin point guards for the Eagles, also got into the mix, ending with six and eight points respectively.

“They played well for us,” Hammer said. “They ran the offense and keyed the defense, and they’re tough to get the ball from.”

Veritas Christian improved to 12-10.

Veritas Christian girls 40, Flint Hills Christian 22

Kayli Farley led Veritas with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting and two free throws. She scored well down low and accounted for most of the teams’ 10-3 lead after the first quarter.

During the second quarter Flint Hills made a small run and closed the gap to six points by halftime.

The Eagles pulled away in the fourth, as Ellen Phillips (nine points) and Madison Bennett (seven points) got more involved in the offense.

Veritas coach Kevin Shelton said his team showed more energy Friday than it had in recent games.

“We had a really clean performance tonight, and we wanted to be the aggressor, and I felt like we were for the most part,” Shelton said. “The girls executed the game plan, and we’re excited to get a big win. It’s a good way to end our season at home.”