Editor’s note: For game boxscore, see earlier post FRIDAY’S HS BOYS BASKETBALL SUMMARIES
HobbsDailyReport.com
MAIDEN – Maiden High’s boys assured the chase for a South Fork 2A basketball championship will go virtually to the wire by knocking off East Lincoln 62-53 on Friday night at Maiden.
Avenging their last loss, the Blue Devils (20-2, 11-1) pulled even with the Mustangs (20-2, 11-1) with two conference games to go.
Maiden High reached 20 wins for the first time under head coach Danny Anderson, who is in his fourth season there. He had 15 teams win at least 20 games in 19 years at West Caldwell, and his Maiden record is 66-34 after 100 games there./PHOTO COURTESY OF ERNIE MASCHE
Maiden is at home Tuesday night against third-place Newton-Conover and closes a 14-game league schedule on Friday night with a trip to Lincolnton.
East Lincoln, which had a 12-game win streak snapped, is at home on Tuesday night against last-place West Lincoln and plays at Newton-Conover on Friday night.
The Blue Devils have won seven straight since falling 77-52 at East Lincoln on Jan. 11.
The Mustangs’ only other loss this season came Dec. 28 in their Winter Jam (80-77 in two overtimes to Mallard Creek in the title game).
Maiden shot 51.1 percent and held the Mustangs to 31.7 percent shooting en route to victory, leading 31-26 at the half and 46-37 heading into the final quarter.
The Blue Devils had a solid start with Montrell Stinson, who scored 18 points, scoring eight points in the first quarter and making two 3-pointers. He have seven points in the third quarter when Maiden extended its lead from five points to nine.
Caleb McDaniel hit two 3-pointers and also scored 18 points for Maiden, which reached 20 wins for the first time since 2004-2005. That team, coached by current Blue Devils girls head coach Frank Snider, went 23-6 and reached the West 2A Regional title game before falling to Thomasville.
Justin Kuthan, a 6-foot-6 junior, paced East Lincoln on Friday night with 18 points — 10 in the opening half — and Sidney Dollar added 14 points.
Maiden collected its 66th win in 100 games with Danny Anderson as head coach (fourth season), and Anderson has 705 career wins in 36 years as a head coach.
Anderson — who came to Maiden from West Caldwell — is a 20-game winner at Maiden for the first time; his teams won 20 or more 15 times in 19 seasons at West Caldwell.
This is the sixth Maiden boys team to win 20 or more games since the mid-1970s (see graphic below).
MORE GAME COVERAGE: https://www.gastongazette.com/sports/20190208/maiden-forges-into-south-fork-2a-conference-tie-after-knocking-off-east-lincoln
TOP BLUE DEVILS TEAMS BY WINS
A look at the five other boys’ basketball teams at Maiden High that won 20 or more games since 1977-78:
Year/Coach Conf./Finish Record Final game
1988-89, Frank Snider 10-4/3rd 20-8 Sectional final, L (Bunker Hill)
1989-90, Frank Snider 12-4/2nd (T) 23-8 W. Regional final, L (Monroe)
1996-97, Fred Byrne 8-2/2nd 23-6 W. Regional R1, L (W. Rowan)
2002-03, Fred Byrne 8-2/champ 20-8 W. Regional final, L (T’ville)
2004-05, Frank Snider 12-0/champ 23-6 W. Regional final, L (T’ville)
Notes: T’ville is Thomasville … Maiden played in the Southern District 7 2A through 1996-97 and in the Southern Foothills 1A-2A in 2002-03 and 2003-04.
SOURCE: HobbsDailyReport.com research, files.
