|
 |
Grace Christian Scores Big Victories
|
| By: Paul Gable |
November 26, 2003 |
|
 |
Wildcats top scorer Gerard Grate (in white) scores two points against North Myrtle Beach Christian.
|
|
The Grace Christian Wildcats gave their fans plenty to cheer about as they defeated North Myrtle Beach Christian School, 74-50, in Friday's Homecoming Game.
The Wildcats jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game before North Myrtle Beach got on the board and ran their advantage to 19-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The combination of Gerard Grate, Terrell Billings and James Alderman used their full-court pressure and conversions on steals to take the Wildcats to a 29-14 advantage with three minutes gone in the second quarter.
From there, both teams settled into a slower paced game and the Wildcats held their 15-point lead until the end of the first half.
North Myrtle Beach made several runs at Grace Christian, but couldn't cut the Wildcats lead to single figures in the third quarter. Grace Christian held a 49-39 lead at the end of three periods.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 17 points in the first half of the fourth quarter behind several three pointers from Kashawn Marino and the inside play of Michael Kerby.
Grate and Billings combined for the Wildcats final 15 points as Grace Christian won going away in the fourth quarter.
Grate led the Wildcats scorers with 26 points, followed closely by Billings who had 25. Alderman finished with 10 points, Marino had nine, and Kerby scored eight points, along with a whole host of rebounds.
Earlier, the Lady Wildcats equaled their total victory output from last year's first season when they recorded a 30-22 victory over the North Myrtle Beach Christian girls.
The game was close for the first half as North Myrtle Beach jumped out to a 9-4 first quarter lead and went into the halftime break with a 13-12 advantage.
However, Grace Christian's Attermease Wilson found her three-point range in the third quarter, dropping three to spur the Lady Wildcats to a 12-4 run in the third quarter. Grace closed out a low scoring fourth quarter with a 6-5 edge for the victory.
Wilson led the Lady Wildcats with 15 points while Casey Singleton and Delilah Feliciaro each scored four points.
North Myrtle Beach Christian got a consolation victory in the boys' JV game, with a 33-15 victory over the Wildcats. Chase Phillips scored nine points to lead Grace Christian.
Earlier in the week, the Wildcats varsity team lost their first game of the season when they were manhandled 73-40 by a taller Columbus Christian squad.
"We are fast and we like to run, but Columbus Christian is as fast as we are and a lot taller. They really took it to us," said head coach Marcus Clark.
The Wildcats traded baskets with Columbus Christian in the early going before a late Columbus spurt gave them a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Grace Christian got one of those points back in the second quarter, outscoring Columbus Christian 12-11, trimming the deficit to 35-26 at halftime.
The bigger opponents controlled the last half as they outscored Grace Christian 38-14 in the last 16 minutes to take win.
"We got into foul trouble in the second half and we couldn't contain them inside," Clark said.
Grace Christian was led by Grate's 17 points with Billings and Alderman also finding double digits at 12 and 11 points, respectively.
On the girls side, the Lady Wildcats again prevailed by pulling out a two-point, 19-17 victory.
Columbus Christian jumped to a 14-7 halftime lead, but Grace Christian came back to outscore their opponents 12-3 in the second half for the victory.
Wilson and Shamain Bryant led the low scoring effort with seven and five points, respectively.
"The girls came out in the second half determined to win the game and they really shut Columbus Christian down," Clark said. "That was a team that handled us pretty easily last year, so the girls have a lot to be proud about with the victory."
|
|
©Loris Scene 2010
|
|
|
