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LOCKLAND — For the second straight game, the Cincinnati Christian boys basketball team held its own against one of the Miami Valley Conference's elite.

But CCS, which squandered an eight-point halftime lead at Seven Hills on Friday, succumbed to a similar fate Tuesday at Lockland.

Trailing 50-48 entering the fourth quarter, the Cougars capitulated down the stretch, surrendering a 10-2 run that proved to be the back-breaker in a 70-64 defeat.

"We got careless with the ball," said CCS coach Ed Davis, whose team committed three consecutive turnovers to start the fourth quarter, leading to five unanswered points for the Panthers. "We're young, and that's hurt us all year."

With the win, the Panthers (17-1, 10-1 MVC) secure an MVC Grey Division title. And they couldn't have done it Tuesday without the exceptional play of sophomore Ricardo Maxwell, who scored a career-high 30 points.

"He hit a couple crucial threes," Davis said. "He put a couple holes in our zones."

CCS junior Nate Brusman, Butler County's leading scorer (22.1 ppg), scored 26 at Lockland after a lackluster seven-point performance at Seven Hills.

Junior David Mann added 17 points for the Cougars, who trailed 32-30 after a first half that had 10 lead changes.

The Cougars fell behind by six (26-20) in the second quarter and by five in the third quarter (49-44), but rallied back each time.

But a slew of turnovers to start the fourth quarter spelled their doom.

"Turnovers have sometimes been a problem for us," Brusman said. "We tend to get tired down the stretch. We only have a six- or seven-man rotation."

Trailing 60-50 in the fourth, Brusman scored five unanswered to cut the deficit in half.

Two Chris Gray free throws pulled CCS within four, 64-60, with 35 seconds left. But Lockland hit six consecutive free throws to secure the victory.

CCS (9-8, 6-4 MVC) plays at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy today and hosts St. Bernard on Friday.