Vanguards win on the road at CVCC
The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team notched another important conference win on Sunday, Feb. 22, defeating the Red Hawks of Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, 63-60. The game was originally scheduled as a home game for VGCC but was postponed and relocated due to last week’s winter weather.
CVCC led 30-28 at halftime of the close contest. In the two teams’ previous meeting of the season, also in Hickory, the Vanguards kept it close in the first half but went on to lose, 89-76.
This time, VGCC was led in scoring by Raekwon Hall, who had 18 points along with seven rebounds and a team-high seven assists. Khadier Fulcher was the Vanguards’ leading rebounder, with 13. He also scored 10 points. Tyrek Beverly put up 11 points of his own.
As a team, the Vanguards shot 41.8% from the field (over CVCC’s 35.5%), 40% from three-point territory (over CVCC’s 20%) and were particularly strong at the free-throw line, making 64.3% of those shots (over CVCC’s 50%).
The victory on the road followed a loss at home for VGCC on Feb. 12, when Pitt Community College edged the Vanguards, 74-70. The Pitt Bulldogs came into the game with a seven-game winning streak and were 12-4 in conference play, but the Vanguards held their own in a tight contest. The final outcome, though disappointing, showed great improvement by VGCC since a 117-85 loss to Pitt earlier in the season.
Both Fulcher and Jordan Bunting had double-double performances for VGCC — the former had 17 points and 16 rebounds, while the latter scored 14 points and posted 13 rebounds. Beverly added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.
VGCC’s record stands at 6-16 (4-14 in conference play). All of the team’s conference wins have come within the last month. The Vanguards’ final scheduled home game, versus Lenoir Community College, was set for Tuesday, Feb. 24, but was cancelled due to inclement weather. That game will not be rescheduled. VGCC is scheduled to end the regular season on the road at Guilford Tech CC on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m.
