Rhinos close out first semester schedule with a victory

Gaston College closed out its first semester schedule impressively on Wednesday night with a 94-81 win over Blue Lights College at Lowell's Gaston Christian School.

The Rhinos will take a 9-5 record into the holidays before returning to action with a four-game homestand that starts on Jan. 8.

"It's nice to get back in the win column," said Gaston College coach David "Dickey" Nutt, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak. "We've just been battling some nagging injuries. So we were doing a little mix and match a lot out there with our lineups. At the end of the day, it's a win."

The Rhinos had extrordinary balance in knocking off the Thoroughbreds for the second time this season.

Jaylen Bates (18 points, 7 rebounds), Da'marco Watson (17 points, 9 assists), Jared Funderburk (12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists), Zavion Jackson (10 points, 10 rebounds), Kalil Camara (9 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals), Damon Davis (9 points) and Joshua Johnson (8 points) led the way for Gaston College, with Bates, Camara and Davis all returning to action after missing a game with twisted ankles.

"I thought offensively we were OK," said Nutt, whose team had 23 assists on 38 made field goals. "We moved the ball and shared the ball really well. That was one of our emphasis was to really push the ball and share it and generate some inside looks. We have to have an inside presence to compete in conference play and getting a little better with it.
"I know our guys are anxious to get home for the Christmas break and get the finals over with, so this was a good night

The Rhinos return to practice on Jan. 4 before hosting GaddisWatts Prep Academy on Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. at North Gaston High School.

Nutt said his team was thrilled to see a large crowd at the game. It included a group called the "Rowdy Rhinos from the Textile Technology Center" that held a pregame tailgate in the Gaston Christian School parking lot.

"I just appreciate our fans so much," Nutt said. "We actually had tailgaters that cooked out before the game and we had a super crowd here at Gaston Christian. Thanks so much to all of our fans, Merry Christmas and a special thanks to (Gaston Christian's head of school Dr.) Marc Stout and (athletic director) Tom Hawxwell for the use of their facility tonight."