Gaston Day boys fend off late rally to upend rival Gaston Christian
Trent McCallister believed his Gaston Day boys basketball team would soon reap the reward of its labor. Maybe Friday night was the start of something good for the Spartans.
With a roster largely consisting of freshmen and sophomores, Trent McCallister knew his Gaston Day boys basketball team would go through its share of growing pains.
As Gaston Christian narrowed what had been a 14-point Gaston Day advantage Friday night to one with a minute remaining, it seemed the Spartans were destined to receive another tough lesson.
This time around, however, Gaston Day had no intentions of being anyone’s pupil.
After taking it on the chin on their home floor in a November loss to Gaston Christian, the Spartans earned a measure of revenge Friday courtesy of a 56-53 win over their bitter rival.
“It’s always such a great experience for the kids when they get to play a rivalry game in front of a packed crowd,” McCallister said. “That’s honestly what I believe high school athletics is all about. I’m just proud of the resilience our team showed tonight.”
In a game of runs, an 11-0 spurt by Gaston Day put it in front to stay. As a result, the Spartans’ lead ballooned to 14 midway through the second period.
A talented Gaston Christian squad didn’t back down though, using a 13-4 run that started during the final two minutes of the first half and continued through the first three of the third period. The Spartans answered with an 13-5 spurt of their own, pushing the lead back to double digits.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” McCallister said. “I think my guys played with a lot of composure (Friday) and really made sure not to get too high or too low based off what was going on. When Gaston Christian went on runs, we did what was necessary to steady the ship, and I have to commend my players on how they responded.”
Gaston Christian did have its share of opportunities down the stretch, though.
After a Nash Heavner 3-pointer cut the Gaston Day lead to one at 54-53 with less than 30 seconds remaining, the Eagles’ Marley Gordon stole the inbounds pass and blazed a path toward a basket. However, such went begging after a wild attempt and two more point-blank opportunities rimmed out.
Gaston Christian’s final possession ended up in the arms of Gaston Day’s Chris Britt, who dribbled the clock out for a Spartans win.
“It all started on defense,” Britt said. “We needed to step it up, and in those final few possessions we did just that.”
Britt led all scorers with 19 points. He was one of three Gaston Day players in double figures, with Callum Richard finishing with 15 and Dean Richard with 10.
As for Gaston Christian, Michael Peters was the lone scorer in double figures with 16 points.
Trent McCallister believed his Gaston Day boys basketball team would soon reap the reward of its labor. Maybe Friday night was the start of something good for the Spartans.
With a roster largely consisting of freshmen and sophomores, Trent McCallister knew his Gaston Day boys basketball team would go through its share of growing pains.
As Gaston Christian narrowed what had been a 14-point Gaston Day advantage Friday night to one with a minute remaining, it seemed the Spartans were destined to receive another tough lesson.
This time around, however, Gaston Day had no intentions of being anyone’s pupil.
After taking it on the chin on their home floor in a November loss to Gaston Christian, the Spartans earned a measure of revenge Friday courtesy of a 56-53 win over their bitter rival.
“It’s always such a great experience for the kids when they get to play a rivalry game in front of a packed crowd,” McCallister said. “That’s honestly what I believe high school athletics is all about. I’m just proud of the resilience our team showed tonight.”
In a game of runs, an 11-0 spurt by Gaston Day put it in front to stay. As a result, the Spartans’ lead ballooned to 14 midway through the second period.
A talented Gaston Christian squad didn’t back down though, using a 13-4 run that started during the final two minutes of the first half and continued through the first three of the third period. The Spartans answered with an 13-5 spurt of their own, pushing the lead back to double digits.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” McCallister said. “I think my guys played with a lot of composure (Friday) and really made sure not to get too high or too low based off what was going on. When Gaston Christian went on runs, we did what was necessary to steady the ship, and I have to commend my players on how they responded.”
Gaston Christian did have its share of opportunities down the stretch, though.
After a Nash Heavner 3-pointer cut the Gaston Day lead to one at 54-53 with less than 30 seconds remaining, the Eagles’ Marley Gordon stole the inbounds pass and blazed a path toward a basket. However, such went begging after a wild attempt and two more point-blank opportunities rimmed out.
Gaston Christian’s final possession ended up in the arms of Gaston Day’s Chris Britt, who dribbled the clock out for a Spartans win.
“It all started on defense,” Britt said. “We needed to step it up, and in those final few possessions we did just that.”
Britt led all scorers with 19 points. He was one of three Gaston Day players in double figures, with Callum Richard finishing with 15 and Dean Richard with 10.
As for Gaston Christian, Michael Peters was the lone scorer in double figures with 16 points.
