By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
Free throws, or more precisely lack of free throws, once again did Calhoun in.
It wasn't that Braxton, a 49-42 winner over the Red Devils, made a lot more free throws. As a matter of fact the Eagles only made four more than the Red Devils - 9-5.
It's rather that Braxton took a lot more than the Red Devils did - 25-10. Calhoun was whistled for 23 personal fouls and one technical foul, finishing the game with four starters having four fouls apiece.
Braxton, on the other hand, was whistled for 17 personal fouls with many of those being offensive fouls where there usually is no free throw awarded.
But free throws were not the lone factor in the Red Devils dropping to 2-9 on the season.
The Red Devils did not shoot particularly well, hitting on only 17 of 57 field goal attempts and they did have 14 turnovers (to four by Braxton).
On the plus side the Red Devils enjoyed a sizeable edge on the boards against the taller Eagles, 40-27. Chucky Kendall led the way with 11 rebounds while Zach Moore added nine and Justin Gerwig and Danny Slider chipped in with seven apiece.
The game was close virtually all the way with Braxton taking a 15-11 lead after one quarter and maintained that four-point lead at the half 22-18.
After Braxton pushed the lead to six with the first basket of the second half Calhoun rallied to knot the score 30-30 at the end of the third quarter.
The Red Devils scored the first two points of the fourth quarter for a 32-30 lead before Braxton's Kyle Warner got hot. Warner scored 11 of his team high 13 points in the fourth period to give the Eagles the lead and then hold the Red Devils' late charge off.
Warner was the only Eagle to hit double figures but he got plenty of scoring help as Mike Coen, Zach Nibert and Aaron Conant added eight each while Trey Chapman had seven for Braxton, 5-3.
Calhoun was led by Moore with 23 points, slightly off his 23.8 average, but he was the only Red Devil to hit double figures.
Cai Clothier added six points while Kendall had five, Gerwig three, Kyle Keesler three and Slider two. Harold McCumbers, Greg Myers and Anthony Richards all played but did not score.
The game was marked by an outburst of Mohawk haircuts and Keesler, McCumbers and Tyler Bennett joined Gerwig with unique style. Gerwig has had a Mohawk since the beginning of the season.
Braxton won the junior varsity game 61-27 pushing its record to 6-2 while Calhoun dropped to 0-9.
Justin Frame led the Eagles with 12 while Kenton Morlan added 11.
Brandon Sampson led Calhoun with 11 points and six rebounds.
He was backed by Caleb Schoolcraft with seven, Daniel Sims with five and CJ Myers and "Double Oh Joe" Overbaugh added two each.
Quentin Murphy, Stewart Fitzwater, Bennett, Richards, Greg Myers and Noah Sweeney all played but did not score.
Calhoun will try to return to the winning column Tuesday night when it travels to South Harrison.
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