Glenn blasts Gaffney in holiday tournament

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Glenn beat Gaffney at its own game Tuesday evening, riding its full-court defense to a convincing 86-59 victory in the Indians’ debut at this year’s Frank Spencer National Holiday Classic.

Glenn shot 62 percent from the floor with a lineup that featured Eric Wallace and Marshall Moses, two of the nation’s top 100 juniors. Wallace scored 19 points while Moses had 10 points.

Gaffney never led in the contest at Joel Coliseum, the home of the Wake Forest Deacons.

The teams were tied twice in the early moments before Glenn finished the first quarter with a 20-14 lead. Glenn gradually extended its advantage the rest of the way, leading 39-30 at halftime and 60-47 at the end of the third quarter.

Glenn did not make a 3point shot. It wasn’t necessary with Glenn able to convert many of Gaffney’s 21 turnovers into slam dunks and layups in transition.

This marked the first time in nearly five years under coach Mark Huff that Gaffney has lost consecutive ball games. Gaffney falls to 5-4 overall. “Glenn absolutely outplayed us. They beat us at our own game going up and down the court,” Huff said. “We are not in good enough shape to play the way we want to play yet. It will take some time.”

Gaffney shot just 34 percent from the field and was 14 of 24 on free throws. By comparison, Glenn hit 18 of 23 from the free throw line.

Malcolm Long led Gaffney with 13 points. Rodney Love added 11 points.

Richard Good provided a spark off the bench, scoring nine points and giving the Indians another inside presence against Glenn.

Gaffney will play tournament host RJ Reynolds today at 12:30 p.m. Regardless of the game’s outcome, the Indians will have an early starting time for their final matchup Thursday. A win against RJ Reynolds will result in Gaffney playing its third game at 12:30 p.m.

If Gaffney loses, their last tournament game will be at 9:30 a.m.

The Frank Spencer National Holiday Classic features local teams from North Carolina as well as a bracket for nationally known teams. National teams include Gaffney, last year’s tournament champion; Archbishop Molloy; and Bishop O’Connell. Tickets for the tournament’s final round are $10 for a 4-game pass.