Baylor beats McCallie for ninth straight time in basketball rivalry

The effort on one play Friday night showed beating McCallie on the basketball court is getting no less exciting for Baylor — and that the Red Raiders have no intention of letting their long winning streak in the series come to an easy end.

Despite a major size differential, Baylor senior Mantas Paldauskas soared from behind to deny 6-foot-7 Ryan Wingard an opportunity to grab momentum for the host Blue Tornado on a potential alley-oop dunk that could have tied the score late in the third quarter of the TSSA Division II-AA East Region showdown between Chattanooga rivals.

Paldauskas’ heads-up defensive play and grit shone brightly in the Red Raiders’ 53-46 win at McCallie, where he also blocked a shot by Ernas Valauskas, who did not score again after taking over the first quarter with all 11 of his points and a trio of 3-point makes — including a buzzer-beating bomb for an 18-15 lead.

The Red Raiders stretched their series winning streak to nine against McCallie as Baylor sophomore point guard Taheim Elohem scored a game-high 14 points, added four assists, then made a final statement by leaping in the corner to block a 3-point attempt in the closing moments.

Baylor at McCallie basketball on Jan. 16, 2026

Elohem was strong going to the hoop and finishing with his dominant left hand, while his second 3-pointer helped Baylor (12-5, 1-1) build a 10-point lead by the end of the third quarter.