If it’s a Friday night in mid-January, chances are a McCallie-Baylor basketball game is somewhere nearby. That was the case January 16 when Baylor arrived at McCallie’s Sports and Activities Center for the first of two games this month against the two TSSAA Division II Class AA archrivals.
Unfortunately, just like the last eight games between the two that came before it, Baylor prevailed 53-46. McCallie will next get a chance at revenge on Friday, January 30, when the two schools meet again at Baylor.
“We didn’t do a good enough job off the glass, weren’t clean enough with the ball, and just were never able to get over the hump,” said McCallie head coach Kenneth White, whose team falls to 15-6 overall and 1-2 in Division II-AA’s East Region.
For much of the first half, it looked as if the Blue Tornado were headed for its first win since 2022. Thanks to some sharp shooting from Ernas Valauskas (11 points for the game), McCallie led 11-6 early and 18-15 at the close of the first quarter. The Red Raiders rallied from there, however, pulling within 24-23 at the break and leading 38-28 after three periods.
McCallie twice pulled within four in the final period but could not get closer. Fellow senior Trell Knight matched Valauskas with 11 points, and junior Ryan Wingard added 10, including a thunderous fourth-quarter dunk.
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