by Brian Turrel
The Turner Golden Bears came back from an early deficit to win their first victory of the season against the Sumner Academy Sabres, 58-50, on Friday night at Sumner.
The Sabres scored the contest’s first 9 points, and Turner couldn’t get its offense into gear in the first quarter. Sumner got 6 points each from Kyun Jackson and Xavier Wallace to post a 17-9 first-quarter lead.
The Bears made their move in the second quarter, getting key baskets from Cedric Bates and Arnaldo Silvestre, and finally taking a lead with three minutes remaining. Turner went to halftime with a 29-27 lead.
The teams slugged it out in the third quarter, with neither being able to get much of an advantage. When it looked as if Sumner might pull ahead again, Silvestre and Jalen Nelson hit back-to-back three-point shots to regain the lead.
Turner hit the gas in the fourth quarter, moving out to a 17-point lead with Bates’s size and strength in the paint making a key difference. Sumner’s Jackson performed some late-game heroics to narrow the gap to 8 at the buzzer.
Jalen Nelson led the Bears in scoring with 16 points, including four-of-four free throws in the fourth quarter. Bates added 13. Jackson led all scorers with 21 points for Sumner, 11 in the fourth quarter.
The win gives the Bears some momentum going into Tuesday’s match against the Bishop Ward Cyclones. Sumner will play at Harmon on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
