Montgomery Advertiser article:
By Jay G. Tate
Faulkner guard Josh Gholston had an uneasy feeling before his team's Saturday game against Auburn Montgomery.
Point guard Bryant Murray, the Eagles' top player, left the program earlier in the week. Coach Jim Sanderson suddenly found himself scrambling to redefine his team's approach, shuffling responsibilities and imploring his players to prove themselves immediately.
Gholston stepped forward.
The sophomore shooting guard scored 18 points and was at his best when Faulkner needed him most. The Eagles won, 86-65.
"Everybody knew the pressure was on us to find a new way," Gholston said. "I was making so many mistakes early in the game. I decided to focus on what I can do. I know I can shoot."
He did plenty of that, hitting all five of his 3-point attempts during the second half. Gholston also was productive when asked to administrate the offense, relieving pressure from freshman point guard De Hereford.
Fellow guard Reggie Dupree was sharp from the outside as well, scoring 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. It was a barrage of perimeter accuracy that gave the Eagles an overwhelming advantage.
There was more.
Forward Jon Uriarte, out for two games with a back injury, returned to his old ways against AUM. The senior's aggressive rebounding and ability to draw fouls inside generated considerable defensive interest, prefacing the open shots that Gholston and Dupree enjoyed all night.
Uriarte finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
"I was hurting, but you feel less pain when it's AUM," Uriarte said. "I couldn't miss this game. I don't care if I have to stretch for an hour before the game and during every timeout. I had to be out there."
The Eagles' offensive verve wasn't around early in the game. They scored on only seven of their first 20 possessions and seemed troubled by AUM's defensive pressure.
Still, the Senators (10-6) were far more troubled overall. Faulkner's guards worked hard to keep the ball away from AUM guard Kip Small, whose scoring instincts provide his team an important catalyst.
Small attempted only four shots in the first half. He hit just one.
AUM coach Larry Chapman watched his team implode without Small in the primary position. Awkward shots abounded. Set plays were extinct. Turnovers were standard.
At halftime, the Senators had 15 turnovers and one assist.
"We were a dysfunctional team out there. Everybody in the gym could see that," Chapman said. "We couldn't deal with the pressure. We collapsed. It got so bad that we couldn't run a single play. I'm talking about stuff we have been running for years."
Faulkner (10-10) led by 10 points at halftime and slowly extended that advantage until AUM's defining run. At one stage midway through the second half, the Senators scored on nine consecutive possessions.
The home team's lead dropped to seven.
Then came Gholston and Dupree, who combined to hit 3-pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor. Faulkner's lead blossomed to 18 points and AUM's hopes were dashed completely.
"It starts with defense for us and our ball pressure was really good tonight," Sanderson said. "Things fell our way tonight. The big thing is that it gives us confidence knowing that we can play like this without (Murray). We're in the conference race."
The Eagles, now 7-2 in Southern States Athletic Conference games, are alone in second place. They trail undefeated Lee University by two games.
AUM, 5-3 in conference play, is two games behind Faulkner in third place.