NEWBERRY — The Newberry Wolves (5-8, 1-5 SAC) rode a strong first half to a 47-35 lead, but ultimately couldn’t handle the Anderson Trojans’ (9-7, 3-5 SAC) second-half surge, falling at home by a score of 93-90.
Early on, the Wolves took control of the game thanks to an offensive explosion from Luke Gibson and Tai Giger, who combined to score 27 points in the first half on 9-10 shooting including 5-6 from deep.
This helped the Wolves to build a healthy 14-point lead with minutes to go in the first half, eventually taking that 12-point margin into the locker room.
Anderson’s Randall Shaw, who found himself in foul trouble and eventually fouled out early in the second half, was the lone source of offense for the Trojans, scoring 13 points in the opening frame to keep his team in striking distance.
Momentum seemed to be in Newberry’s favor, but the halftime break proved to be a game-changer for Anderson, with the Trojans dominating offensively throughout the second half.
The three-headed monster of Gage Ellis, Jeremy Bouton and Andrew Boynton all put up double-digit totals in the second half, scoring 15, 13 and 11 points respectively. Despite those high totals, their efficiency was even more impressive, combining to shoot 16-19 from the floor in the second half, leading the way for a 15-point swing and the 93-90 victory.
The Wolves finished with three players in double digits, including the dynamic duo of Giger and Gibson finishing with 20+ point totals. Giger, a freshman, scored a career-high 23 points in the most impressive game of his young career, while Gibson followed with 20 points and Lange finished with 14 points.
Nilous Hodge Jr. pulled down a career-high seven rebounds, with Angelo Sales Jr. matching to lead the way for Newberry on the boards.
For the Trojans, five players finished in double-digits, led by 23 points from Ellis. Boynton recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Trojans to finish with a 52.5 percent shooting clip on the night.
The Wolves will get a short break before attempting to get back in the win column when they travel to Wingate to take on the 9-6 Bulldogs today. It will be the first of two meetings this season, and that game will tip off at 8:00 p.m.