Blue Devils sweep Rock Hill, 56-46
Feb. 21—CENTENARY, Ohio — A halftime adjustment.
The Gallia Academy boys basketball team made a 19-10 third quarter surge and eventually held on Saturday night for a 56-46 victory over visiting Rock Hill in an Ohio Valley Conference matchup in Gallia County.
The Blue Devils (9-8, 6-7 OVC) notched their third consecutive victory while competing in their first game in 11 days. The hosts also ended up claiming a season sweep of the Redmen (1-16, 0-12) in the process after posting a 54-43 win in Pedro back on Jan. 26.
The Blue and White trailed 12-10 through one quarter of play and were down 14-10 early in the second before rallying with an 8-4 run to knot things up at 18-all.
A Carson Call offensive putback at the buzzer not only allowed GAHS to take a 20-18 edge into the break, but it also proved to be the eventual bucket that provided the hosts with a permanent lead.
Call and Isaac Clary each poured in five points during that pivotal third period push that allowed Gallia Academy to extend its lead out to 39-28.
RHHS won the finale by a slim 18-17 margin, but the Blue Devils netted 11-of-13 free throws down the stretch to wrap up the 10-point outcome.
The Red and White — who trailed by as much as 36-24 in the third canto — managed to whittle the deficit down to 44-41 late in the fourth quarter. GAHS closed the final 2-plus minutes with a 10-2 push to complete the season sweep.
Gallia Academy outrebounded the guests by a 36-22 overall margin, including a 13-3 edge on the offensive glass. The hosts also committed 17 of the 36 turnovers in the game as well.
The Blue Devils made 20-of-50 field goal attempts for 40 percent, including a 2-of-8 effort from behind the arc for 25 percent. Gallia Academy also netted 14-of-19 free throw attempts for 74 percent.
Clary led the hosts with a double-double effort of 19 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Brody Fellure with 13 points to go along with team-highs of five assists and four steals.
Call was next with seven points, while Kenyon Franklin and Wesley Saunders respectively added six and four markers. Cooper Davis and Noah Vanco completed the winning tally with two points apiece.
The Redmen made 20-of-44 shot attempts for 46 percent, including a 2-of-6 effort from 3-point territory for 33 percent. The guests were also 4-of-8 at the charity stripe for 50 percent.
Jacob Schwab paced RHHS with 16 points and seven rebounds, followed by Brayden Adams with 10 points and Noah Doddridge with eight markers.
Owen Hankins was next with six points, while Lane Smith and Brayden Malone respectively wrapped things up with four and two points.
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Bryan Walters can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2101.
