Tanya Chilton | The News
Surry Runnin’ Patriots Head Coach Todd Gerber and assistant coaches, Paul Bunke and Tim Pittman, coach Surry Runnin’ Patriots to a decisive victory against Sheets Memorial Eagles at the Armfield Civic Center.
PILOT MOUNTAIN — Surry Runnin’ Patriot boys varsity basketball team defeated Sheets Memorial Christian School by 15 points at home on Tuesday with the score ending 57-42.
Surry Runnin’ assistant coach Paul Bunke said the lead scorer of the game was forward Nate Gerber.
Gerber scored 21 points in the game high against the Eagles. He also had 20 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and four blocked shots, said Bunke.
Bunke said the game is one of the best Gerber has played so far this season on both sides of the ball and was “like the glue” holding both the inside and outside together during the game against Sheets.
Gerber is the team’s leading scorer and has a season high of 26 points in an earlier game, Bunke said.
P.J. Bunke was second highest scorer for the Runnin’ Patriots and scored 17 points. Of those 17 points, he earned nine points in three-pointer jumpshots. Chad Brantley collected eight rebounds and Andrew Thoppil recorded three steals.
Assistant coach Bunke described the Runnin’ Patriots’ perfect free throw run of 100 percent as “a coaches dream come true.” The Pats were 8-8 from the free throw line on Tuesday in contrast to the Eagles who went 3-15 from the foul line, said Bunke.
The Patriots did run into some foul trouble early, said the coach, and they ended up playing the entire bench. Bunke said they recovered and kept the lead in double digits.
The good defense in the last half created some fast breaks for the team, particularly in the fourth quarter, Bunke said.
The assistant coach said Gerber’s top game on both sides of the ball comes just months after best friend and teammate Dakota Pittman was killed in a motorcycle accident. The father of the recently deceased Pittman is Surry Runnin’ Patriots assistant coach Tim Pittman.
Bunke said there is a “The shout out to D” prayer by Pittman’s father and yell of confirmation by the team before each game in honor of their teammate and friend.
The team has a 6-3 record so far this season and will play American Hebrew Academy tonight in Greensboro.
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