Second-half surge lifts Gray Collegiate past Lower Richland in Bojangles Bash

Gray Collegiate made a statement Saturday night during the Bojangles Bash finale with a 75-51 victory against Lower Richland.

The War Eagles used a dominating second half in pulling away in a matchup between two of the top programs in the Midlands. After the first half ended in a one-point lead for Gray Collegiate, Juwan Gary and crew had too much firepower in the second half.

“That’s the team we knew the first five games,” Gray Collegiate coach Dion Bethea said. “Tonight, we pulled it all together, and that third quarter was a monster for us.”

Gary, the No. 27 ranked player in the 2019 class by ESPN, scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half. The War Eagles came out of halftime on a 16-2 run in which Gary scored nine points for a 46-31 lead. Gray Collegiate led by at least 13, and by as much as 28, the rest of the way.

Gary finished with 10 rebounds, a block and steal in 27 minutes.

Gray Collegiate (6-1) shot 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) in the second half.

“We took an L against Trinity Christian, but we bounced back as a team,” Gary said. “We kept playing as a team and came out that second half and played as a unit.”

Bethea has liked what he has seen from Gary in the early going.

“Juwan worked all summer and leading up to the season on his body,” Bethea said. “He’s playing real well. Tonight, he was unbelievable, unstoppable.”

Christian Brown, the No. 13 ranked player in the 2019 class by ESPN, finished with 20 points. The Diamonds played without senior Tevaughn Higgins, who played in the North-South Football All-Star game in Myrtle Beach earlier in the day.

Coach Caleb Gaither sat his starters for the final six minutes.

GC – Juwan Gary 30, Tommy Bruner 16, K. Robinson 8, Corbitt 6, Hough 5, J. Robinson 5, McDuffie 3, Marsh 2. LR – Christian Brown 20, Richardson 9, Hicks 2, Scott 3, Flood 2, Cheeseboro 4, Hughes 6, River 4, Thompson 1.

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 11:08 PM with the headline "Second-half surge lifts Gray Collegiate past Lower Richland in Bojangles Bash."