Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Devils Run Out Of Gas In Season Opener; Fall 62-50

Opening night for the Gurdon Go-Devil basketball team came a scant four days after football season ended.

The Devils, with one practice under their belt, made the short journey to Prescott for a date with the hated Curley Wolves.

As is typical when these two teams meet, the pace was a blur. Both squads raced up and down the floor, daring the other to blink and make a mistake.

But, the early season lack of work showed as neither could convert well on offense.

The Devils opened with a 5-0 run, with Prescott's first point coming from the free throw line with 6:15 left in the period.

Gurdon leader John Ware came out in a 1-3-1 zone instead of the all-out pressure man-to- man defense the Devils usually play.

The zebras called the game tight, sending members of both teams to the line often. Gurdon had 25 free throws, converting 11, while Prescott was 10 of 23 from the stripe.

By the end of the first quarter, Gurdon held a slim 11-9 lead.

This, though, changed during the second eight minute stanza, as Prescott Coach Matt McClure made wholesale substitutions to keep fresh legs on the court at all times.

The Wolves took the lead for the first time with 4:20 left at 17-16. For the rest of the quarter, the two combatants traded blows and the lead.

The Wolves, with a 25-24 lead late in the period, held the ball for the last shot, making it with two seconds remaining and going into the locker room up 27-24.

Both teams played even in the third quarter, as Gurdon and Prescott each added 18 points to their scores.

Only the score changed in the third quarter, with Prescott holding on to a three point lead at 45-42.

However, there is a big difference in football legs and basketball legs. Gurdon still had football legs, while Prescott had basketball legs in the fourth period.

Fatigue and one practice proved to be more than Gurdon could overcome in the last eight minutes, as the Wolves outscored the Devils 17-8.

Demond Beasley, who drove the lanes all night, led all scorers for the game with 23.

Prescott had three players in double figures, as Brandon Wilson sank 21 points, Andrew Fellows added 14 and Matt Brannon contributed 11.

The Devils will next hit the home court in the opening round of the 1998 Go-Devil Classic Thursday.

Gurdon's senior boys will entertain Sparkman at 8 p.m.