Sharpshooting Merriweather heating up in Region 10 competition

For the second straight season, Gaston College sharpshooter Dee Merriweather has his best game in Region 10 competition.

That's a good thing for the Rhinos as they finished one game out of first place last season and are one of four teams so far this season with one or less Region 10 defeats.

Merriweather, a sophomore from Memphis, Tennessee, thinks it's a validation of the practice drills and diet he's using off the court.

"I'm just glad to see all the hard work I've put in at the gym paying off," said Merriweather, who is averaging 21.0 points while converting 51.2 percent overall and 53.1 percent on 3-pointers in three Region 10 games this season. "I've changed preparation and I've changed my diet and my eating habits. So I'm in better shape."

Merriweather has made three or more 3-pointers in each Region 10 game this season as Gaston College is 2-1 in the region and 12-4 overall.

Defending champion Caldwell Tech (5-0, 17-2) leads the Region 10 standings entering Wednesday's Gaston College at Spartanburg Methodist and Cape Fear Community College at Brunswick Community College games.

Brunswick Community College (3-1, 11-9), Spartanburg Methodist (2-1, 14-6) and Gaston College all have one region loss with Richard Bland (2-4, 9-12), Denmark Tech (1-3, 10-11) and Cape Fear Community College (0-4, 6-11) rounding out the rest of the standings.

Merriweather is coming off a 28-point effort in an 88-69 win at Denmark Tech in which he made 10 of 14 field goals overall and eight of 11 3-pointers. It was the Rhinos' first Region 10 road game and was one 3-pointer and six points shy of his school record nine 3-pointers and career-high 34 points in a home victory over Caldwell Tech last season.

Gaston College is in a stretch of five Region 10 road games out of six league contests.

But the Rhinos were the only Region 10 team last season to finish with a better road record than home record - and Merriweather says the team has a mindset that helps it win on the road.

It's borne of Gaston College practicing at Gaston's First United Methodist Church and using four different homecourts for home games last season and is using Gastonia's Ashbrook High School gymnasium for all home games this season.

"We feel like we're at home everywhere we go," Merriweather said. "We practice at the church, we play at Ashbrook and we play games on the road. Even though we don't have a "home" gym, we treat every game like we're at home."