By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
Harold McCumbers held onto the ball and looked up at the clock as it ticked off the last seconds and when the horn sounded the poignancy of the moment was captured in his face as the emotions flowed freely.
Calhoun's 31-game losing streak which had turned from a monkey to a gorilla on the Red Devils' back was over.
Calhoun had won a game - the first since the final game of the 2006-07 season - and pandemonium reigned.
Calhoun played its best game in a long while and pummeled Roane County 64-41.
Zach Moore had led the way with a phenomenal effort - 35 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and two steals - but it was the best team effort the Red Devils had made in a while as they played with confidence, enthusiasm and aggression.
For instance:
- Justin Gerwig has only nine points but he 11 rebounds and four assists while playing an excellent game on defense.
- Kyle Keesler scored 10 points and had three assists but it was his early outside shooting - two first quarter three-point goals - that brought Roane out of its tightly packed in defense.
- Chuck Kendall only had four points but he added four assists and two blocked shots while putting the clamps on while playing defense.
- Danny Slider came in off the bench and seven rebounds.
- Cai Clothier, despite foul problems, was solid in the middle for the Red Devils and scored the first two points of the game giving Calhoun a lead it would never relinquish.
- McCumbers did not score but did play an excellent game on defense with a pair of steals and a couple of rebounds.
Calhoun jumped on Roane early and roared to an 11-point lead before the Raiders scored at the 3:04 mark of the first quarter. Calhoun kept up the bombardment and was ahead 20-4 at the end of one quarter. It was Calhoun's first 20-point quarter in probably two-to-three years.
The Red Devils continued their assault in the second quarter by outscoring the Raiders 15-12 for a 35-16 halftime lead.
The third quarter brought more of the same as the Red Devils enjoyed a 17-9 advantage and a 52-25 lead at the turn.
Only in the fourth quarter with Calhoun reserves picking up a lot of minutes did the Raiders make any kind of a dent in the Red Devils' defense and then it was mainly because the Raiders found the range from outside.
Calhoun's reserves, including Tyler Bennett (who had two points), Daniel Sims, Greg Myers and Anthony Richards closed out the game.
Calhoun is now 1-7 on the season and will be on the road tonight for a doubleheader against Wahama.
Roane. 1-4, was led by Rhett Atkinson and Matt Brohard with nine apiece.
Roane won the junior varsity game 59-35 behind a 15-point effort by Tyler Fields.
Calhoun was led by Brandon Sampson and Richards with nine apiece while Sims added five, Caleb Schoolcraft four, Quentin Murphy and Stewart Fitzwater with three each, CJ Myers with two and Greg Myers one. Bennett and Noah Sweeney both played but did not score.
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