Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Boys Post Pair Of League Wins

Blevins and Genoa Central fell victim to the Gurdon Go-Devils in 7-AA Central basketball action last week.

Genoa was Gurdon's first victim, losing 37-36, while the Devils simply beat up on Blevins 71-52.

GURDON 71

BLEVINS 52

The Devils made no bones about their intentions from the outset of the game, never letting the Hornets even think they had a chance.

Blevins won the opening tip and promptly turned the ball over.

However, neither team did well in the first two minutes of the game. In fact, there was no score till the Devils hit a bucket with 6:20 to go in the first.

Gurdon was more aggressive early on, with Devils getting in the face of Hornet players. This was effective as Gurdon was able to work the ball inside and build a 12-0 lead in the first quarter.

Blevins had chances to score, but did nothing with them, other than turn the ball over.

The Devils lit up the scoreboard in the second quarter, adding 24 points to their tally.

Gurdon picked up the pace, pushing the ball up and down the court.

Blevins did manage to get on the board, coring with 6:49 left in the half. The Hornets did make an attempt to get in the game, but had the door slammed in their faces.

Halftime arrived with Gurdon up 36-14.

Blevins put on a run in the third quarter to cut Gurdon's lead.

However, the Hornets got the second half underway by turning the ball over. Gurdon, though, returned the favor by throwing the ball out of bounds while attempting a fast break.

From there it was back and forth as Blevins challenged and Gurdon responded.

The Hornets cut the lead to 43-32 before Gurdon rallied, outscoring Blevins 7-3 in the final 2:09 of the third.

The Devils held a 50-35 lead heading into the final eight minutes and built the lead to 20 points at times during the period.

But, each time the Devils appeared to be throwing the knockout punch, the Hornets dodged the blow and came back, somewhat.

Blevins players constantly reached around Gurdon players and slapped at the ball in a feeble attempt to force turnovers, as they were flatfooted while making the effort.

No matter what Blevins did, Gurdon had an answer and never let the Hornets make a serious run at the lead.

Gurdon coach John Ware cleared the bench in the last three minutes of the game.

While play got sloppier, the Devils on the hardwood continued hammering away at Blevins and helped seal the win.

GURDON 37

GENOA CENTRAL 36

The Devils needed a fourth-quarter rally to get past Genoa Central, 37-36, Tuesday, Jan. 30.

The game was lackluster as neither squad was able to mount much of an offense and both turned the ball over regularly.

Genoa managed to take a 7-0 lead before Gurdon got on the board with 5:33 left in the first. The Devils were only able to score four points in the period with one field goal and two free throws.

The Dragons held a 12-4 lead at the end of one, but didn't look like worldbeaters.

Both teams picked up the pace in the second period, as the Devils worked to get in the game.

The Dragons, though, were in better rebounding position most of the first half, allowing Gurdon only one shot at the bucket.

Genoa led 20-10 with 2:03 to go in the half, before the Devils outscored them 5-2 for the rest of the period to make it 22-15 at the break.

Gurdon outscored Genoa in the second, third and fourth quarters of the game, though making little headway in the second and third periods.

Still, the Devils continued to chip away at Genoa's lead in the third, as they showed more patience in the second half.

With 3:37 to go, Gurdon managed to get within two at 25-23, only to see the Dragons go on a 6-1 run for the rest of the quarter and take a 31-24 lead into the fourth.

Gurdon opened the final eight minutes by draining a three. In fact, Dorsey Kelly scored five quick points for the Devils to start the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 31-29 with 7:00 showing.The Devils tied the game on a pair of free throws with 4:54 left, and took the lead at the 4:08 mark, 33-31.

After swapping baskets, Genoa took the lead, 36-35, with an old-fashioned three with 2:21 remaining. This, though, was the Dragons' final points.

Gurdon had two points left in them and plenty of time to score them.

The Devils spread the floor and slowed the game, working to force Genoa into either making a mistake or committing a foul. They did the latter, putting Gurdon at the line with 27.5 seconds left.

Unfortunately, the Devils missed the free throws, but gained possession of the ball and scored with 9 seconds left, preserving the victory.