LINDEN &045; The Linden Christmas Classic was a close battle until the final eight minutes of the game. The host Linden Patriots finally wore down the feisty John Essex Hornets to walk away with a win, 54-40.

The Patriots had its way in the first quarter, running up 16 points after eight minutes of play. The scoring was helped by the offensive put backs midway through the quarter. Linden took a 16-7 advantage after one quarter.

The Hornets fought its way back in the second by dropping in nine unanswered points to tie the game at 16 with less than four minutes left in the quarter. The Patriots mustard up two field goals the rest of the quarter. They hung on to a 20-19 advantage after two quarters of play.

In the third quarter Linden kept its slim lead until John Essex tied the game with 2:52 showing on the clock. A patriot three-pointer gave Linden a 34-31 advantage after three quarters. It was all Linden in the fourth quarter, as the Patriots who had noticeable size over the Hornets out scored John Essex 18-7 in the final eight minutes of the game to pull out the victory.

Sean Richardson grabbed the scoring honors for the game with 20 points for the Patriots. Kendarius Goodwill added 12. Ken Phillips scored 11 points for John Essex.