Ask Central Academy coach Carl Rawls what makes a successful team, and he’ll tell you it’s all about the defense.

CCA’s boys team played stellar defense Thursday night, holding the boys of Marion Schools to 12 points, while scoring 57 of their own.

Leading scorer was Akeem Gantt with 19 points and nine rebounds. Bryant Rawls, a sophomore, scored 12, and Latrell Carter rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Thomas Curtis also earned high-scoring nods for CCa with nine points and six rebounds.

CCA is 7-2 on the season and looks forward to the tournament beginning Friday night At Wilcox Academy.