By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

With their best player out of the game with an ankle injury, the Callaway Cavaliers put together a nice rally against the Manchester Blue Devils Friday night.

In the end, though, the 17-point deficit the Cavs found themselves in early in the third period proved too great to overcome.

The Cavaliers got as close as four points in the closing moments, but the Devils hung on for a 67-59 Region 5-AA victory.

Callaway (10-3 overall) fell to 5-2 in region play, while Manchester (11-5) improved to 6-2.

“Anytime you get down that big, it’s hard to fight back,” Callaway head coach Greg Moultrie said. “It was shades of LaGrange when we got down big (in an 80-67 loss).

“The kids showed heart that game, just like they showed heart in this game. But again, we were down too big.”

Callaway’s cause was hurt when leading scorer Quantavius Leslie injured his ankle in the third quarter.

Leslie returned to the bench after having his ankle taped, but he was unable to play.

Without Leslie, the Cavaliers rallied.

They were down 37-20 early in the third quarter, but by the time the quarter ended, they were down 49-42.

The Cavs got as close as four points two minutes into the fourth quarter, but the Devils stretched their lead to nine with three minutes remaining.

Again Callaway made a charge, trimming Manchester’s lead to 63-59 with 30 seconds left.

The Cavs had a chance to get even closer, but a missed layup with 20 seconds left proved costly, and Manchester scored the game’s final four points.

D.J. Rutledge led Callaway with 15 points, while Terrance Jackson added 12.

” In the end, we just couldn’t close the door,” Callaway head coach Greg Moultrie said. “Hats off to Manchester. We’ll be looking for them in the region tournament.”

In Friday’s girls’ game, the Lady Cavliers had their best scoring output of the season, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a 70-57 loss.

Payton Pearson had a big game for Callaway with 16 points, while Keela Rutledge scored nine.

The Lady Cavs were ahead 17-8 after the first period, and they were up 30-22 at the half.

Manchester dominanted the second half, though.

Still, it was an encouraging effort for a team that hasn’t won a game on the court this season.

Callaway’s lone win came on a forfeit.

“We’re taking it one step at a time,” Callaway coach Michael Fannin said. “Regardless of the record, they’re playing hard.”