VGCC Basketball team 2-2 to start season
The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards have started the 2012-2013 men’s basketball season (the first under new head coach Mike Rotolo) with two wins and two losses.
In the first regular-season contest (Nov. 1), VGCC lost to Louisburg College by a score of 101-55. The Hurricanes are the defending Region X champions and were recently ranked second in the nation in NJCAA Division II. The Vanguards were led in scoring by two freshmen: Shawn Brown of Henderson with 14 points and Ezekiel LeGrande of Wadesboro with 10 points.
Next, VGCC traveled to Elizabeth City to take part in the Mid-Atlantic Christian University Showcase tournament (Nov. 8-10). The event featured four teams playing a round-robin schedule. On Nov. 8, the Vanguards won their first game of the season, defeating the Fredericksburg, Va.-based Germanna Community College Grizzlies, 83-68. Josh Bethel of Durham was the top Vanguard in scoring, racking up 22 points. Justin Martin of Oxford led his team in rebounds, with 10. Khadier Fulcher of Oxford contributed 6 assists and 3 steals. All three of those students are freshmen.
The next day, VGCC played the host team, the Mustangs of MACU, losing 77-76 in what was the program’s first game versus a team from a four-year university. MACU tied for first place in the Shenandoah-Chesapeake Athletic Conference last year. Leaders for VGCC in this game were Shawn Brown (24 points), Justin Martin and sophomore Josh Coles of Danville, Va. (7 rebounds apiece), Josh Bethel (4 assists and 5 steals) and freshman Larry Champion of Henderson (2 blocks).
The Vanguards closed out the showcase on Nov. 10 by defeating the team from Appalachian Bible College of Mount Hope, West Va., 82-79 in overtime. Josh Coles was the dominant performer in the game, putting up 36 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Shawn Brown added 9 rebounds, Josh Bethel made 5 assists, and Larry Champion blocked two shots.
The MACU team is set to visit Henderson on Friday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. for VGCC’s first home game of the season. All home games are scheduled to be played at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson, and all are free and open to the public. For more information, visit VGCC’s athletics web site ( www.vgcc.edu/Athletics/ ).
