By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record
SALISBURY - What the Davie girls basketball team did in last week’s Sam Moir Christmas Classic at Catawba College qualifies as building serious momentum.
The War Eagles didn’t win the three-day tournament for the first time since ‘02. But they turned a corner by winning two of three, taking unbeaten West Rowan to the very end in defeat and knocking off a good Carson team by 12.
It was a significant run on several fronts. Davie went 0-2 in the event last year. This was the best Moir showing in three years (Davie was third in ‘09). More importantly, the War Eagles (8-6) have taken their game to a whole new level since a 2-4 start, winning six of eight. The next win will give them the most Ws in three years.
After belting North Rowan 67-46 in the first round, the fifth-seeded War Eagles faced top-seeded West Rowan in the semifinals. They came about as close as you can come to winning - West scored with eight seconds left for a 55-54 decision - without actually winning. Has a losing Davie team had more championship-caliber plays and moments in recent years? West was just a bit better. You can not fault the skill or heart of Davie.
“We were there and we had a chance against a quality opponent,” coach Denny Key said. “With a second to go, we’ve got a chance to win. We got the lead too early. You need to get the lead with one second to go on this team because they’re going to throw stuff at you and rebound like crazy. In the ...