Concord High School basketball player Omarion Culliver drives the baseline during a home game on Monday night against Columbia Central High School. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
Something had to give when the Columbia Central High School boys’ varsity basketball team visited Concord on Monday night.
Both teams were 0-1 heading into the game with new head coaches looking for their first win at their respective schools.
In the end, Concord’s experience paid off in a 51-48 win over the Golden Eagles Monday night.
First-year Coach Marcus Gill is coaching in the high school ranks after a stint as the junior varsity coach at Albion College.
CCHS Coach Troy Stewart is the new head of the basketball program at Columbia Central.
Gill said he wanted to get into the high school ranks since his son is a freshman at Concord and he has a younger son also interested in the sport. He stresses defense and hustle.
“I tell our players no matter what, if you defend and rebound you have a chance to win every single night,” Gill said after the win. “Hopefully our offense will catch up to our defense.”
Neither team’s offenses were clicking in the first half. The score was 1-1 three-plus minutes into the first quarter.
Concord led 9-5 after eight minutes of action.
Both teams picked it up in the second quarter as Dane Funston scored five points for Concord and Aiden Adams matched that for CCHS.
Concord led 22-17 at halftime.
The Yellow Jackets scored the first five points of the second half to extend that lead to 10 points, but the Golden Eagles hung tough as Ethan Stewart scored six points in the quarter.
Marley Sprague matched that total as the Yellow Jackets led by seven points heading into the final quarter.
That is where it got crazy.
A 3-point basket by Nico Hyliard pulled CCHS to within one possession midway through the fourth quarter.
But Sprague took over for Concord scoring five consecutive points.
The Yellow Jackets should have pulled away easily, but were 1-for-10 at the free throw line during a two-minute stretch late in the game.
“I tell the guys you have to make free throws and layups to win games,” Coach Gill said. “I can’t make them for you.”
CCHS would not go away, hitting 3-point baskets by Adams and Stewart making it a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter.
But Concord would prevail for Gill’s first win at CHS.
Concord (1-1 overall) was led by C.J. Glaspie with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The senior said he enjoys having Gill as his new coach.
“He gets on you for doing bad things, but he is upfront with you,” Glaspie said of Gill. “Coach is very energetic … I like that.
“It is a blessing to have (a college coach at the helm).”
Sprague finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, and Dane Funston scored eight of his 11 points in the first half.
CCHS was led by Adams and Stewart with 13 points apiece. Sam Lyke and Caleb Shay each recorded six rebounds for CCHS (0-2 overall).
