Gaston College closes out first unbeaten semester record

Gaston College's basketball team completed the first unbeaten semester in school history on Sunday afternoon with an 87-68 victory over Virginia Peninsula at Gastonia's Ashbrook High School.

The Rhinos improved to 13-0 as they head into the Christmas break one win shy of the school's fastest start of 14-0 in the 1966-67 school year. Then, Gaston College went 6-0 in the first semester and then won the first eight games of the second semester before finishing 16-2 overall as a Natoinal Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 independent.

This season, the Rhinos' fast start is rivaled by those of USC Salkehatchie (12-1), Caldwell Tech (9-2) and defending Region 10 champion Brunswick Community College (8-2) among the Rhinos' Division I league opponents.

"That last game going into Christmas break is always a tough one," Gaston College coach Benny Moss said. "You worry about your guys' mindset. I thought we were a little lethargic early.

"They were smaller than us but they were quicker to the ball early. But, at the end of the day, we had a full team effort and came out with the win."

Sophomores Kaleb Siler (21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists), Ryan Evans (16 points, 14 rebounds), Kush Carter (10 points, 5 rebounds), Spencer Breeden (9 points, 3 assists) and E.J. Joyner (6 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists) led the way.

The Rhinos trailed only briefly in the middle of the first half before taking the lead for good at 25-24 at the 6:54 mark before intermission.

And after Gaston College took a 36-34 halftime advantage, the Rhinos would take a 10-point lead at 57-47 with 11:30 to play and led by 20 at 67-47 with 8:32 left. Those leads were part of a surge of 14 unanswered Gaston College points that ended any doubt after Sunday's outcome.

"Everybody that came in contributed and we did what we had to do to take care of business to finish the semester 13-0," Moss said.

The Rhinos, whose Sunday contest was their only December home game, plays five January games at the Ashbrook High gymnasium starting with a three-game homestand on Jan. 5 (Davidson-Davie Community College) and continuing Jan. 7 (Montreat junior varsity) and Jan. 10 (Converse junior varsity). The Jan. 5 and Jan. 7 games are at 8 p.m. with the Jan. 10 game at 2 p.m.