CAMPBELL Danilov celebrates homecoming victory

Teyon Harris had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lift the Red Devils past Chaney.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CAMPBELL -- He's back.
Brian Danilov returned home as head coach of the Campbell Memorial High boys basketball team after a seven-year absence and led the Red Devils to a 58-55 victory over Chaney.
Danilov's first game in the newly-refurbished Damato Field House was a struggle despite a 14-0 start by the Devils over the visiting Cowboys (0-3).
Campbell (2-1) actually fell behind Chaney, 51-49, after holding leads as big as 15 points in the second quarter and 16 points late in the third period.
But the Red Devils regrouped and took back the lead 56-55 on a basket by Darrin Johnson with 30.5 seconds left in the game.
Louis Samonas and Teyon Harris hit free throws in the waning seconds to preserve the homecoming victory for Danilov and his young Red Devil team.
"What a great feeling," said a relieved Danilov following the game. "It's good to come back and play before all the people that have supported you over the years.
"We have a young team without a dominating player," Danilov added. "We have to learn how to put four quarters together and finish a game."
Early lead
It looked early like the Devils wouldn't have such a worry after they broke out to the 14-0 first-quarter lead.
Guards Chris Melnick and Samonas fueled the early rally with six and five points apiece in the first quarter.
The Devils' lead grew to 31-16 late in the first half on a basket by Melnick, and Danilov's first game back at Campbell seemed like a lock.
But Chaney senior Kelvin Shaw began to heat up and he helped lead a late 6-0 run at the end of the third quarter to pull the Cowboys to within nine points, 43-34.
Shaw and sophomore Dominique Peak continued to come on strong in the fourth period and a full-court pressure defense by Chaney forced Campbell to commit seven consecutive turnovers.
"We finally got into our defense in the second half," Chaney coach Don D'Alesio said. "We need to hit shots in order to get into our defense and we couldn't hit anything in the first half."
Chaney struggled shooting the ball from the field and at the foul line in the first three quarters, but knocked down 8-of-16 fielders in the final period to key a 16-2 run that produced its first lead at 51-49.
Leaders
Shaw finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Peak added 12 points and eight more boards.
"I'm proud of our effort," D'Alesio said. "We got better as a team tonight. In the third and fourth quarter we showed what we could do if we play like a team."
Campbell got a strong game from Harris, who scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. James Torbert finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Melnick also added 10 points.