Photo credit: Midland Christian Athletics

What happened: Midland Christian finished 2-2 at the Lubbock Caprock Classic from Monday, Dec. 29, through Wednesday, Dec. 31, improving their overall record to 17-7. The Mustangs opened the week with convincing wins over Abilene (9-8 overall) and Fort Worth Dunbar (7-9 overall), before running into two strong opponents in Trinity Christian(18-5 overall,  No. 51 in Texas) and Lubbock Monterey (16-5 overall) to close tournament play

Brody McHugh scored double figures in all four games, leading Midland Christian throughout the week and surpassing 1,000 career points with the program.

The big picture:

  • Game 1: Midland Christian 66, Abilene 52
    Midland Christian set the tone early and stayed in front throughout, taking a 16–8 lead after the first quarter and stretching the margin to 36–24 by halftime. The Mustangs continued to press the advantage after the break, building a 53–31 cushion through three quarters and keeping Abilene at arm’s length down the stretch.

Cooper Johnston paced Midland Christian with 26 points, hitting four 3-pointers and converting all six of his free-throw attempts. Brody McHugh added 14 points, while Kohl Bremerman chipped in 12. Abilene was led by Brenner Paul with 12 points, followed by Gavin Colley with 11 and Payton Shawver with 10.

  • Game 2: Midland Christian 67, Dunbar 39
    The Mustangs wasted little time creating separation, racing out to a 26–11 lead after one quarter and widening the gap to 42–20 by halftime. Midland Christian maintained control after the break, carrying a 53–31 advantage into the fourth before closing out the win.

    Kohl Bremerman led the way with 26 points, while Brody McHugh followed with 21, including six 3-pointers. Cooper Johnston finished with 11 points. Dunbar was led by Jermon Newton with 16 points and Reggie Wilson with 11.

  • Game 3: Trinity Christian 58, Midland Christian 48
    Midland Christian opened strong, taking a 17–8 lead after the first quarter, but Trinity Christian answered in the second, outscoring the Mustangs 17–10 to trim the deficit to 27–25 at halftime. Trinity took control after the break, moving ahead 44–40 lead through three quarters before closing the game with a 14-8 fourth-quarter run.

Lucai Anderson led Trinity Christian with 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Calvin Gilbert added 13 points, Jet Naegele scored 12, and John Cooper finished with 10. Cooper Johnston led Midland Christian with 19 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, while Brody McHugh added 12.

  • Game 4: Monterey 69, Midland Christian 37
    After Midland Christian held a slim 13–10 edge following the first quarter, Monterey swung momentum in the second taking a 28–19 lead into halftime. The Plainsmen continued to build separation after the break, outscoring the Mustangs 23–13 in the third to push the margin to 51–32, then pulling away further in the fourth.

    Brody McHugh led Midland Christian with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Monterey was paced by Sam Arrington with 17 points and Cainan Long with 16, including three 3-pointers.

Go deeper:

  • Game 1 scoring:

    Midland Christian: Cooper Johnston — 26, Brody McHugh — 14, Kohl Bremerman — 12, Jaxon Franco — 5, George Moreno — 3, Payton Ross — 3, Slade Lundberg — 3

    Abilene: Brenner Paul — 12, Gavin Colley — 11, Payton Shawver — 10, Cade Reese — 6, Levon Koonce — 4, Brentler Holmes — 3, Stevie Wright — 2, Myles Osborne — 2, Luke Jackson — 2
  • Game 2 scoring:

    Midland Christian: Kohl Bremerman — 26, Brody McHugh — 21, Cooper Johnston — 11, Slade Lundberg — 5, Jaxon Franco — 4

    Dunbar: Jermon Newton — 16, Reggie Wilson — 11, Jazz Kirven — 6, Josiah Williams — 2, D’Andre Alexander — 2, Coby Robinson — 2
  • Game 3 scoring:

    Midland Christian: Cooper Johnston — 19, Brody McHugh — 12, Kohl Bremerman — 9, Slade Lundberg — 5, Blake Wilson — 3

    Trinity Christian: Lucai Anderson — 21, Calvin Gilbert — 13, Jet Naegele — 12, John Cooper — 10, Zavian Willis — 2
  • Game 4 scoring:

    Midland Christian: Brody McHugh — 15, Kohl Bremerman — 9, Cooper Johnston — 7, Blake Wilson — 6

    Monterey: Sam Arrington — 17, Cainan Long — 16, Larry Galloway — 9, Terance King — 7, Elijah Smothers — 7, Carlos Koontz — 4, Jack Greaser — 4, Chris Owens — 3, Dallas Trevino — 2

What’s next: The Mustangs open district play Friday, Jan. 2, hosting Fort Worth’s All Saints (5–10 overall) at 7:30 p.m.