The Route 40 Challenge Trophy will remain at Glenelg Country for the second straight year.
Brandon Hopp
(Click video link above left to see the winning half court shot)
"For me to be here playing for the Dragons is a big experience for me because I came all the way from Africa," said Salih, the six-foot-five inch center. "In Africa, we do not have such a basketball team like this."
Salih added: "I have talent but I also have a lot of work to do."
Junior guards Justin Johnson and Brian Gibbons added 19 and 18 points respectively for the Dragons who evened their record at 1-1 with the victory.
Sophomore forward Winfield Taylor led his team with 13 points as the Yellow Jackets dropped to 2-2 on the young season.
Gibbons hit one of his four three-pointers at the buzzer of the first quarter to hand the Dragons a 21-11 lead after one. They pushed that margain to 38-24 at the half and looked like it would be an easy game.
"When I start making them, I just keep shooting," said Gibbons who ignited the crowd in the second quarter where he hit three triples. "If they are going down, I'll keep shooting but if not I have to get my teammates involved."
But Chapelgate, behind seven points from Taylor in the third, got within eight at 45-37 entering the fourth.
"I told our guys, Glenelg is an upper-half B Conference team," said Yellow Jackets head coach Frick Frierson. "We cut it to eight in the third quarter, I just felt like this guys believed a little bit that they could do it and that was huge for their confidence. It's too bad the final score looks like that because we know that we can play with some good teams if we can hang with these guys."
However, in the end, Glenelg Country had too many horses for Chapelgate and scored 33 fourth quarter points, 14 from Johnson, to hold on to the Route 40 trophy.
"It was a big game because it was a B Conference team versus a C Conference team and we're just trying to prove ourselves," said Taylor. "They are a good team."
Last year, Glenelg Country won the inaugural game
80-52. The "Challenge" was put together by the two schools which were C Conference rivals before Glenelg moved up to the B Conference last season. Each year on the week of Thanksgiving, the two rivals, seperated by a five minute drive, have decided to keep their old rivalry alive while also raising money for charity.
Donations are taken at the door and during halftime of both the junior varsity and varsity games, fans, parents and even players give a dollar donation to take a shot from half court for a chance to win a 20-pound turkey. The proceeds are given to the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore which is a food bank and Adaptive Living Inc. which helps adults in Howard County who have physical and mental disabilities.
"It's always good to get with Chapelgate now that we're in the B, they're still in the C and they used to be a great rival of ours while we were in the same conference," said Dragons head coach Charlie Stewart. "It's nice to continue that rivalry each year and do some good while raising money for two worthy charities.
Glenelg Country School 78, Chapelgate Christian 53
CC 11 13 13 16 -- 53
GC 21 17 7 33 -- 78
Chapelgate: Taylor 13, Phillips 9, McCall 8, McCarl 6, Murrill 6, Frierson 5, Uzosike 4, Prentice 2. Totals: 19 13-17 53.
Glenelg Country: Salih 20, Johnson 19, Gibbons 18, Miles 9, Jordan 6, Tangires 4, Shaham 2. Totals: 32 10-12 78. Half: GCS, 38-24.