Gideon falls to Campbell on senior night

GIDEON – The Campbell Camels (7-17) took their show on the road Thursday and thumped the Gideon Bulldogs (3-20) on Gideon's senior night, 61-20.

Campbell took the tip and seconds later guard Sam Bunting scored a three-point goal from the outside, followed swiftly by a two-point conversion. Bunting then drew a foul and sank one of two free throws before teammate Cole Townsend went to work on the glass, nailing a two-point shot that left the Gideon team behind by 12.

The Bulldogs were scoreless well into the first period and trailed the Camels 15-8 heading into the second quarter.

Gideon head coach Jeremy Walker was keenly aware of the Camels' skills and said his young team needed to play hard to win.

"We need to play real tough," Coach Walker said. "Campbell's a big, physical team that rarely loses its composure. It would be great if we could finish the year off strong. We're very young and still learning. We leave a lot on the floor."

The game featured its share of dropped passes, hurried offensive plays, airballs and burned defensive situations indicative of a young squad's steep learning curve.

The second period found the Camels scoring first, followed quickly by the Bulldogs' Drake Montgomery's two-point goal, which brought the score to 17-10.

Down 21-10, Gideon's Bryden Knapp took control of the ball and fired a three-point mortar from the top of the key, which was answered decisively by Bunting's three-point shot from the outside corner. The Camels stole a pass and shuttled the ball to Duncan Hicks, who drove in for a goal and increased Campbell's lead, 26-13.

The Bulldogs converted a foul shot before Campbell's Logan Townsend stepped up with his own three-point bullet from the top of the key. Townsend followed that with a layup bringing the score to 31-14. A Gideon foul resulted in a Campbell free throw that ended the half with the Bulldogs trailing 32-14.

Campbell emerged from the halftime locker room and dominated the third period, holding the Bulldogs to only one goal, scored by Drake Grissom.

Campbell's Bunting burned the Gideon defense for two points, and Cole Townsend scored prior to teammate Jackson Anthony, who came to life with just more than three minutes remaining in the quarter. Anthony scored a quick layup and a three-point bomb from the outside that brought the score to 49-16 in favor of Campbell.

The Bulldogs scored only four points in the final period to the Camels' 12 and the Campbell team rolled over the young Gideon squad 61-20.

"That's ugly," Coach Walker remarked after the matchup. "I do think the guys played hard even though the game was decided pretty early on. We look like a team that needs to be in the weight room. Campbell's constant pressure contributed to our passing situation. We gotta get stronger, get used to the speed and fast pace of a varsity basketball game."

Campbell head coach Steve Fowler noted his team took advantage of Gideon turnovers and mistakes.

"We had some trouble with that this year," Coach Fowler said. "But I think we shot really well from the outside and worked hard getting the ball inside and scoring rhythm shots more than usual. It just worked for us tonight."

Campbell's Sam Bunting was the game's top gun Thursday with 17 points, followed by teammate Cole Townsend's 14. Gideon's Drake Montgomery was the Bulldogs' high scorer with 8 points followed by Knapp's 6 points.

Gideon seniors Brett Hufford, Katie Richardson and Camryn Foster were honored for their service, both to their class and their school.