LANCASTER – Things were a little chippy in the early going between Lancaster and visiting Logan, and during that time, the Golden Gales seemed a little rattled as the Chieftains jumped to a quick lead.
However, Lancaster had an ace in the hole in senior guard Davis Call, who kept the Gales within striking distance. He scored 11 points in the first quarter and 14 of the Gales’ first 20 points. It allowed Lancaster to regain its footing, and from there, his teammates joined in. Lancaster was able to fight back and take a first-quarter lead and dominated the rest of the way in a 68-41 Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division victory on Dec. 19.
The Gales (3-3) were able to snap a two-game losing streak.
Call finished with a game-high 21 points, including four 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists. After Logan led 10-5, Call sparked a 12-2 run to end the first quarter by connecting on two 3-pointers. Shawn Willis and Can Eaton also connected on a pair of 3s during that stretch to give the Gales a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Call then converted a three-point play to begin the second quarter, and the Gales were off to the races. They outscored the Chieftains 20-9 in the second quarter to take a commanding 37-21 halftime lead.
“I wanted to come out and have a big game, and after I hit that first shot, I just kept going and going,” Call said. “It was good to get off to that hot start and keep us in the game and keep us going and give us the momentum we needed. Coming off two losses, we were a bit down, but we know you have to keep your head up and keep going, pushing to the next game. It’s early in the season, and you’re going to have some tough losses, so you have to get back up and keep fighting.”
The Gales had solid contributions from several different players, including its bench, as Kaleb Santiny and Brody Burke both provided a spark.
“It always feels good to win,” Lancaster coach Kent Riggs said. “I thought we played well against Pickerington Central (on Dec. 16), but we just didn’t make shots. Tonight, after the first three or four minutes, I thought we played good basketball. We moved the ball well, and Davis came hot and gave us a huge lift. Our pressure sped them up and enabled us to get some fast-break points, and I thought the guys who came off the bench gave us a spark.”
Lancaster led 51-26 heading into the fourth quarter. Drew Whitlatch had a solid all-around game, scoring 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting. He had four rebounds, four steals and an assist. Eaton added 10 points, while Willis and Burke chipped in six points each.
The Gales will look to make it two in a row when they host Horizon Science Dec. 23, and after the Christmas break will host Bloom-Carroll Dec. 30.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Led by Davis Call’s hot start, Lancaster gets back on track
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
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