Late 30-footer sinks Gaston College in Region 10 road game

Visiting Gaston College was victimized by a second half Cape Fear Community College comeback on Wednesday night that was capped by a 30-foot jumpshot just before the buzzer that gave the host Sea Devils a 72-70 victory.

The loss, the Rhinos' third straight loss (all on the road), overshadowed an impressive first half in which Gaston College built a 17-point lead with a mixture of inside and outside offensive production.

But the Rhinos' offense ran dry in the second half as a spirited Cape Fear Community College attack was capped by leading scorer Keishon Porter's 30-footer for a 3-pointer from the deep right wing under pressure swished through the net with 1.5 seconds left.

Gaston College had just taken the lead on DaMarco Watson's driving layup in traffic with 6.5 seconds.

Sea Devils' coach Mark Lane called a timeout and his play gave Porter possession in the backcourt where he drove until the deep right wing before firing his game-winner.

"He's a right-handed guy," Gaston College coach Jamie Rosser said. "He shot off his right foot, which is the wrong leg. On two people. And it went in.
"But we shouldn't have been in that position. I know a lead is never safe but when you're up 17 points, you have to have some toughness to stay ahead and win."

The Rhinos led by 17 points twice in the first half, including 48-31 at halftime, and 50-33 with 16:29 left in the game, before the Sea Devils closed the game on a 39-20 surge.

The defeat leaves Gaston College 12-7 overall and 2-4 in Region 10.

"Sometimes in this sport, the coaching is out the window," Rosser said. "The players have to say, 'My man is not scoring on me.'
"Cape Fear just put their head down and drove it to the basket in the second half. We tried man-to-man. We tried zone. You know, at some point, you have to have some toughness. We didn't have that tonight."

Asil Hoyle (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), Tyree Bracey (14 points, 5 rebounds), Jamal Ukaegbu (13 points, 5 rebounds), Dee Merriweather (8 points, 4 assists), and Caleb McCarty (7 points, 7 rebounds) led the Rhinos.

Gaston College is off until Sunday's 1 p.m. home game against Denmark Tech at the Ashbrook High gymnasium.