Catawba Ridge’s Owen Elliott takes a jumper over a Rock Hill player during Thursday night’s game at the Arena.

For the Catawba Ridge Copperheads boys’ varsity basketball team, it was another night at the office with a 22-point win over the Rock Hill Bearcats Thursday.

The varsity girls had the night off, so just the boy’s team played as the win pushed the Copperheads to 14-2 overall on the season and was their last tune-up before Region 3-4A play starts.

Catawba Ridge easily won 71-49 after jumping out to a 22-6 lead after the first quarter. The Copperheads had four players in double figures, led by Grant Lovette, who had 22 points. Owen Elliott added 15 points and Zyan Hager, seeing action for the first time since being injured, scored 12 points in limited minutes. Lance Barnes added 10 points as well.

“We are trying to get healthy,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Brett Childers. “You can’t do any better than we have done to get ready for region. I am excited for our progress.”

The Copperheads jumped out to a 8-2 opening run to start the game and were able to get easy baskets in transition. The majority of their baskets from the field were at the rim as Catawba Ridge shot 75 percent in the opening quarter. Lovette scored 10 of his 22 points in the opening quarter.

Catawba Ridge didn’t take their feet off the gas in the second quarter despite a slower start opening the period on a 9-0 run. Elliott dropped in 12 of his 15 points in the first half. Catawba Ridge took just six shots in the second quarter from the field, but camped at the foul line hitting 7-of-9 shots to take a 42-20 halftime lead.

The third quarter was just as effective for Catawba Ridge as they went 6-of-8 from the field, despite a slower pace of play. The majority of their shots were off fast breaks. The Copperheads extended their lead in the third quarter to 61-33 before opening the final period.

The fourth quarter was controlled mostly by Rock Hill as Catawba Ridge emptied their bench. The Copperheads were outscored 16-10, but still managed to keep pace for the most part.

Catawba Ridge opens region play at South Pointe Tuesday, Jan. 10, as they are in the running for a region title. The Copperheads, who are currently ranked eighth in 4A, also share a spot in the top 10 with two other region opponents in Lancaster, ranked second, and Indian Land, ranked sixth.

“Every night is going to be a war,” Childers said.

Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep

Grant Lovette looks to take a shot for Catawba Ridge during their game against Rock Hill.