Baylor rolls in seventh straight basketball win vs. McCallie
Having started for Baylor School's varsity basketball team since he was in the eighth grade, Zane Restelli made the most of his final shot at McCallie on his home court Friday night.
The senior point guard and the other four Red Raiders on the floor at the time checked out of the game between Chattanooga rivals with the hosts holding a 23-point lead and more than a minute left to play at Duke Arena.
Despite picking up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, Restelli locked back in on the bench before coming in and scoring seven straight points to help seal a 73-53 victory in which he supplied 23 points, six assists, six rebounds, a trio of 3-pointers and a blocked shot. The win was the seventh straight for the Red Raiders in their all-time series with the Blue Tornado, who will host a rematch between the TSSAA Division II-AA East Region programs on Jan. 31.
"I really took this game in all day today," said Restelli, who was a force driving against the Blue Tornado's full-court press. "This is my last year and my last Baylor-McCallie game on this court. This is an amazing experience. Our guys came together and played as a team. This is the result and what happens when we all play tough together."
Helping spark the Red Raiders' rout was junior guard Mantas Paldauskas, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half. That included knocking down a behind-the-back pass from Restelli in transition at the top of the key to build a 24-11 lead early in the second quarter.
Paldauskas also showed his flashiness with a nasty spin move for a tough left-handed layup off the glass, while he facilitated well and hit a trio of 3-pointers to help Baylor improve to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in league play.
"What I am proud of the most about Zane, Mantas and all of our guys is their character," Baylor first-year head coach Quinn McDowell said. "When you have strong character and you are willing to take hard coaching and come back every day and work on building the habits that lead to success, then you are able to perform in the biggest moments. Those guys are tough and were able to do the right things in big moments tonight."
McCallie (10-8, 0-1) was sparked in the third quarter by Jaydon Scott, whose attack from the left side of the hoop helped cut Baylor's lead to five. However, Restelli answered back with a deep 3-pointer from the top left wing off an assist from Paldauskas.
Restelli ended the third quarter by driving the length of the court for layup, then assisting a strong finish in the paint by Kevin Sacas, who completed the three-point play for a 50-39 lead to end the period.
The Red Raiders dominated the fourth quarter, which included senior Luke Smith coming off the bench to hit a 3 from the left corner while also grabbing several key rebounds. Ezra Sixto also had a crowd-energizing slam for his second dunk of the game, and Bolton Born contributed 11 points in the win.
"I can't say enough about Luke Smith and what he means to our program," McDowell said. "I have held him to a really high standard in terms of him helping us build our culture and living in our identity every single night — that's to be the most competitive and connected team. Luke lives that out every single day. I can always count on him to be focused on the team first and foremost."
The Blue Tornado were led by senior Kaleb Gallman, who had a game-high 25 points as he scored on all three levels.
However, the night belonged to Restelli and the rest in red.
"What I have challenged Zane the most on is how do you lead when things don't go your way," McDowell said. "I couldn't be more proud of the steps he has taken to grow as a leader for our program. We ask a lot of him. I am really proud of his leadership tonight and how he didn't let foul trouble late deter him."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
