By Jasmine Cannon

Tears and cheers.

In only a matter of minutes, Christ the King girls basketball team went from watching senior point guard Mia Farris sobbing on the bench, to celebrating its fourth consecutive Chicago Prep regular season conference title with a 63-53 victory Tuesday night over Chicago Hope.

It was not the only dramatic swing of the night for the Gladiators. Their 14-point, fourth-quarter lead was cut to five on back-to-back three-pointers from Hope’s Precious Burnham and Deja Southall with less than three minutes left in the game, and to three with just more than a minute left. But a furious Christ the King defensive flurry held Hope scoreless the rest of the way, giving the Eagles their first conference and second overall loss of the year.

While the Gladiators celebrated as they left the court, a smiling Farris was carried off on the back of senior teammate Taylor Gaines with a bag of ice still wrapped around the left ankle she injured in the third quarter.

Farris finished with 12 points, including a three-pointer on a fast break before attacking the basket on the next possession and sustaining the injury.

“It hurt,” Christ the King coach Edward Douglas said about losing Farris, who is expected to return in time for the conference tournament, Feb. 1-4. “I do have players that can come off the bench, they just have to step up now.”

Christ the King scoring and rebounding

Hope scoring and rebounding

Perhaps the most valuable player of the night was Nyema Burns, who Douglas predicted would be a major key for the Gladiators. Burns, a 6-2 senior center, scored 10 points and 17 rebounds to go along with six blocks and two steals. She was matched up against Hope’s Deja Anderson, the Eagles’ 6-3 senior center who finished with 15 points but was plagued by foul trouble for much of the game.

“I had to perform,” Burns said. “I had to get the rebounds and stop her from getting all the post moves over me. I have to do my job as a post player and the tallest player on my team.”

From the beginning of the game, Douglas implemented a full-court man-to-man press to force Hope turnovers. The Eagles were prepared and handled the pressure well, especially sophomore guard Andrea Shavers, who scored 13 points in the first half.

Adding their own full-court defensive pressure late in the third quarter was an adjustment Hope coach Scott Cornelius said he wish he would have made earlier.

“When it’s the last game of the year it’s a bad feeling,” Cornelius said. “[With this game] we’re going to learn from it, go to practice tomorrow and enjoy the rest of our ride here together.”

Hope and Christ the King could meet each other again in the conference tournament hosted by the Gladiators.

Christ the King v. Hope game breakdown