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Gaston College head coach David "Dickey" Nutt talks to his team during a timeout in Thursday night's game at Combine Academy in Lincolnton.
Gaston College head coach David "Dickey" Nutt talks to his team during a timeout in Thursday night's game at Combine Academy in Lincolnton.
Posted: Dec 02, 2021

Gaston College drops high-scoring matchup at Combine Academy

For the second time this season, Gaston College tangled with Combine Academy Prep in an exciting, high-scoring battle.

And for the second time this season, the home team came out on top as Combine Academy Prep rallied from a 20-point first half deficit before taking an 86-83 win over the Rhinos in a game played at Combine Academy Prep's Lincolnton gymnasium.

It was the final tuneup for Gaston College (7-3) before it starts National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 play on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington. 

"It was a good game for us because it helps as we go into conference play," Rhinos coach David "Dickey" Nutt said. "This can be a wake-up call for us. They've got good players and they were really good tonight."

Gaston College had defeated Combine Academy Prep 95-92 in an overtime game played on Nov. 10.

The Rhinos hit seven of their first eight shots and made seven first-half 3-pointers to lead by as much as 33-13 before taking a 45-36 advantage into halftime. In the second half, the Goats roster that includes six players who have either committed to NCAA Division I schools or are being recruited by NCAA Division I schools, tallied 50 points and finished 26 of 32 overall from the free-throw line.

Damon Davis (25 points, 5 assists), Dee Merriweather (15 points), Kalil Camara (14 points, 8 rebounds) and Da'marco Watson (12 points, 6 assists) led the Rhinos. Guard Jacob Cooper, who's being recruited by several NCAA Division I schools including nearby Gardner-Webb, had a game-high 28 points for Combine Academy Prep. Big Ten Conference recruit Jayden Brewer (19 points) and Murray State commitment Corneilous Williams (12 points) also had big games for the Goats.

"Turnovers were a factor," said Nutt, whose team had a season-high 22 turnovers. "We learned some lessons. I give them credit. They shot the ball well in the second half but we have to play much smarter and much tougher. We fouled a 3-point shooter multiple times and that can't happen."