Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

GALLIPOLIS — It was gut check time for the Coal Grove Hornets and they passed checking station.
The Hornets came into Friday’s Ohio Valley Conference game against the Gallipolis Blue Devils 0-3 and then lost leading scorer Cory Borders in the third quarter with a possible dislocated knee.
But the Hornets rose to the challenge and beat the odds and the Blue Devils 51-48.
Malachi Wheeler stepped up and scored 16 points to lead the Hornets (1-3, 1-1). Evan Gannon had 13 points and Borders scored 11 before his injury.
Logan Blouir had 19 points to lead Gallipolis (1-3, 0-2).
Coal Grove went up 16-14 in the first quarter as Gannon hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 8 points and Borders drained two more from behind the arc.
Blouir and Damon Cremeens had 5 each for Gallipolis.
Gallipolis came back to tie the game 26-26 at the half as Reece Thomas got 4 points. Wheeler had 8 points including 6-of-6 at the foul line.
The Hornets got only 7 points in the third quarter — Borders scored 5 — and the Blue Devils took a 36-33 lead as Blouir and Isaac Clary combined for all 10 Gallipolis points.
In the fourth quarter, Trevor Carey scored all 6 of his p oints and the Hornets converted 5-of-7 at the foul line. Jarren Hicks had 5 points and Gannon score 5 as he hit a 3-pointer and made two free throws.
Blouir had 5 points and Reece Thomas hit a 3-pointer for the Blue Devils.
On Tuesday, Coal Grove is at Rock Hill and Gallipolis goes to South Point.
Coal Grove 16 10 7 18 = 51
Gallipolis 14 12 10 12 = 48
COAL GROVE (1-3, 1-1): Perry Kingery 0 0 0-0 0, Cory Borders 1 3 0-1 11, Evan Gannon 1 3 2-2 13, Peyton Smith 0 0 0-1 0, Luke Ferguson 0 0 0-0 0, Malachi Wheeler 4 0 8-8 16, Jarren Hicks 2 0 1-2 5, Ethan Short 0 0 0-0 0, Trevor Carey 3 0 0-0 6. Totals: 11 6 11-14 51. Fouls: 19. Fouled out: None.
GALLIPOLIS (1-3, 0-2): Reece Thomas 3 1 0-0 9, Logan Blouir 7 0 5-8 19, Cotton Coldwell 0 0 0-0 0, Devin Lee 0 0 0-0 0, Ben Cox 0 0 0-0 0, Justin Wilcoxin 1 0 0-0 2, Damon Cremeens 2 0 4-8 8, Davis Cooper 1 0 0-1 2, Isaac Clary 3 0 2-2 8. Totals: 17 1 11-19 48. Fouls: 19. Fouled out: None.