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GBCA tops MACS
Wed Jan 30, 2008, 02:12 PM EST
The boys' basketball team of Grace Baptist Christian Academy of Attleboro rallied in the fourth quarter during their January 25 game to upset Mystic Valley Charter School of Malden, 47-46, in a non-league game at the Mansfield SportsPlex.
Sophomore center Adam Bailey banked in a five-foot runner with three seconds to play to cap the Centurions' rally from a 12-point deficit in the second half. Bailey finished the contest with 15 points, while teammate Tim Yoakum added 13 points and Josh Hulme finished with eight points.
After leading just once during the first three periods, GBCA used a 14-3 burst to assume a 41-40 lead with 2:51 left and expanded its bulge to 45-41 with 1:13 remaining. The visiting Eagles, however, ripped off five unanswered points to retake the lead until Bailey's game-winning bucket in the closing seconds.
Mystic Valley, a member of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and a likely qualifier this year for the MIAA's state tournament competition.
"We needed this win badly," said Grace Baptist coach Jeff Nichols. "I think we showed a marked improvement in intensity today and communicated better on the floor than we have in recent games."
Grace Baptist's stunning victory over Mystic Valley lessened the sting from a pair of non-league road setbacks earlier in the week. The Centurions were nipped by Tabernacle Christian School of Litchfield, N.H., 55-54, and also fell to Victory Christian School of Londonderry, N.H., 49-42.
Against Tabernacle, Bailey tallied a game-high 19 points for GBCA, while Steve Albro (15) and Hulme (12) also concluded in double digits. Bailey also poured in 18 points opposite Victory, while Yoakum chipped in with 12 points.
Grace Baptist is now 7-4 this season, including a perfect 4-0 mark against Massachusetts Association of Christian Schools rivals. Grace Baptist will travel to Woburn on Feb. 1 to face Open Bible Christian School in a MACS outing before returning home to the Mansfield SportsPlex on Feb. 4 for a rematch against Victory. The Centurions will also journey to West Bridgewater on Feb. 5 for a MACS encounter opposite New England Baptist Academy.
