Indians hold off York
By LARRY HILLIARD Ledger Sports Editor larry@gaffneyledger.com

Gaffney point guard Emison Hughes hit 5 of his 7 free throws down the stretch to help seal the win over York on Friday.

Gaffney boys basketball coach Mark Huff says his undefeated Indians are playing well in spurts.

Just imagine how good the team will be when it strings together four quarters of solid play.

Josh Corry had 27 points and Bubba Wright added 11 as the Indians improved to 3-0 with a 75-68 win over homestanding York on Friday.

"We played well in spurts, but then we have spurts where we have a lot of mental lapses," Huff said.

The Indians had few mental lapses in the first quarter when they jumped to a 23-8 lead. Corry and Wright were big in the quarter, scoring a combined 13 points. The Indians also forced several turnovers which resulted in easy baskets.

The Indians led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter before York cut the deficit to 10 at halftime.

"They ran with us in the first half and that's what we want teams to do," Huff said.

The Cougars had 16 first-half turnovers.

York went on a spurt to trail by just six in the third quarter before the Indians responded to take a 55-42 lead at the end of the quarter.

York took advantage of some sloppy play by the Indians in the fourth quarter to pull within two points. But after a timeout, the Indians scored on four straight trips to rebuild their lead. Gaffney also hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Corry was 3 for 3, while Emison Hughes was 5 for 7 and Jeff Brown was 2 for 2 at the foul line in the game's final minutes.

Gaffney played without David Dewberry and Johnny Woods, who were participating in the North South All Star game.

"I was proud of our effort," Huff said. "The kids played hard."

In girls' action, York outscored the visiting Lady Indians 14-5 in the pivotal third quarter for a 63-57 win.

Keisha Leach had 18 points to pace the Lady Indians.

Gaffney travels to Rock Hill on Tuesday.