GAYLESVILLE – Corey Head is trying to change the mentality of the Gaylesville basketball programs. He took a small step forward with the Trojan boys against Coosa Christian on Tuesday night.
The Trojans rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit and briefly led in the fourth quarter, but Coosa Christian held on for a 61-56 victory.
The Conquerors’ 3-point shooting (13 in the game, four of which came in the first quarter) and Gaylesville’s performance at the free-throw line (12-of-39) were the keys to the game.
“The effort was great in the second half. We can’t fault the effort. We’ve just got to play a little smarter,” Head said. “We competed. We’ve just got to make some easy ones and some free throws.
“I think people were excited. There was a lot of enthusiasm. We’re just going to try and take that and build on it. Maybe they’ll get real excited when we’re winning these.”
Behind its four first-quarter treys, Coosa Christian (1-0) took a 12-4 advantage. Three more 3-pointers in the second helped the Conquerors build a 27-12 halftime edge.
But the Trojans (0-1) turned things up in the second half. They went on a 28-13 run in the third to tie things up at 40 behind nine points from Jacob Gordon, a spark from the bench by Kyler Bradley, and the board presence of Keylon Higgins.
Gordon ended up leading the Trojans with 22 points. Bradley connected on two of his three treys in the third and finished with nine points. Higgins posted 11 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.
“He’s a force,” Head said of Higgins. “He’s got to be that force every night.”
Bradley’s final trey with 6:44 to go gave Gaylesville a 46-45 edge. The Trojans extended their lead to 48-45 on a rebound and putback by Gage White with 4:38 remaining, but the Conquerors’ Isiah Cole and Deontae Ford connected on back-to-back treys to help Coosa regain the lead at 51-48 with just over four minutes to go.
Ford made three more baskets in the quarter and sank two free throws with 6.6 seconds left to help the Conquerors preserve the win.
Ford led Coosa with 19 points, including three 3-pointers. Cole contributed 12 points, all on treys. Caddon Moore added seven points for the Conquerors. Koby Roberts finished with six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
“They made some of those (3-pointers),” Head said. “We had a hard time not knowing who to guard. That’s first-game jitters. We’ll try to fix it.”
Gaylesville hosts Jefferson Christian on Friday.
Girls
Coosa Christian 56, Gaylesville 12
GAYLESVILLE – Coosa Christian built a 17-point first-quarter lead and didn’t look back, claiming a 56-12 girls basketball victory at Gaylesville on Tuesday evening.
Chloe Davidson delivered a game-high 25 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead the Lady Conquerors (2-1). Bella Millirons added 16 points, including two 3-pointers. Erin Snow finished with eight points.
Shonda Epps led Gaylesville (0-1) with four points. Star Mayes connected on a 3-pointer.
“The girls played hard,” Head said. “We’re behind a little bit, but the effort was there. It’s up to me as a coach to find out what we can do offensively to give us a little better chance. I’ve got to do a better job of that.”
Coosa Christian jumped out to a 22-5 first-quarter advantage and led 40-10 at halftime. The Lady Conquerors extended their lead to 52-10 at the end of the third quarter.
