Gaston College closes four-game road trip at Cape Fear Community College

Gaston College closes out a challenging four-game road swing Wednesday at 6 p.m. with a Region 10 game at Cape Fear Community College.

Coming off a 93-87 loss Saturday to Region 10 leader Caldwell Tech, the Rhinos are looking to break a two-game skid and even their league record at 3-3.

The question is simple: Which Cape Fear team will Gaston College go up against?

The Rhinos rolled past the Sea Devils 85-60 in the teams' first meeting Jan. 21 at Ashbrook High. However, Cape Fear (7-12, 1-5) picked up its first league win of the season Saturday by knocking off Spartanburg Methodist 88-86. By comparison, the Rhinos lost to Spartanburg Methodist 72-62 on Feb. 1.

"We must be prepared for any team that hits the court against us on any given night," Gaston College head coach Jamie Rosser said. "The focus is us at this point of the season if we can capitalize on some things that we haven't had a lot of success with. I still think we will have a chance of becoming a top tier team."

A key to Cape Fear's upset of Spartanburg Methodist was efficiency from 3-point range. The Sea Devils shot almost 40 percent behind the arc (9-for-23), with Keishon Porter scoring nine of his 18 points on treys (3-for-5).

In that first meeting between Cape Fear and Gaston, the Rhinos boasted a strong perimeter game of their own. Guard Jordan Guthrie scored 22 points and sank 6-of-12 three-point attempts to lead four players in double figures.

The Rhinos may need another good shooting night in the rematch with Cape Fear, which clearly has some momentum going after the Spartanburg Methodist game.

Despite the setback at Caldwell Tech, Gaston College coach Jamie Rosser was upbeat in his postgame remarks, calling the showing against the defending Region 10 champions "a great learning experience."

The Rhinos battled to the wire and almost overcame crippling foul trouble. Three players exited with five fouls, including floor leader DaMarco Watson with just over a minute to play in a tight game.

Another plus was the return of 6-foot-8 sophomore Caleb McCarty from an injury that sidelined him for a five-game stretch in January. McCarty flashed a productive midrange game against the Cobras, sinking 7-of-9 field goal attempts for 15 points in limited action due to foul issues.