Boys slump and fade from CPC race
Published 10:45 am Thursday, February 13, 2020
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Davie’s varsity boys basketball team rallied furiously in the fourth quarter at West Forsyth. Davie was within three at the end of the third at Reynolds. Davie forced a halftime tie at Glenn on a miraculous 75-foot shot at the buzzer by Za’Haree Maddox.
Every time Davie reached the hump, they fell back down.
Three losses in four days ended the War Eagles’ hopes of claiming second and earning one of the Central Piedmont Conference’s state-playoff berths. With two games remaining in the regular season, they’re in a three-way tie for third. They could still reach the 4-A postseason by receiving a wildcard.
“We’ve got a ton to play for,” coach Mike Absher said.
W. Forsyth 58, Davie 54
After taking a 12-10 lead in the first quarter, the next 16 minutes were nightmarish for the War Eagles, who dug a 40-26 hole in Clemmons on Feb. 4.
“Nothing was going right for us,” Absher said. “We weren’t making any shots. We had some really, really good looks that we just didn’t make.”
A ferocious fourth got Davie within striking distance. The War Eagles were down three with the ball. Later, they trailed by four with the ball and under a minute to play. After hitting just four 3s in the first three quarters, they banged five in the fourth.
But Davie ran out of time, losing to West (4-17, 3-4) for the first time since Jan. 27, 2017.
“Credit to our guys,” he said. “That was a good comeback because nothing was going our way. To come back and make it a one-possession game, I was really proud of them for that.”
Brooks Johnson and Luke Williams had 17 and 12 points, respectively. Each hit three 3s. Maddox had eight points, Justice Redmon six, James Reid five, Iverson King four and Avery Taylor two.
Notes: After losing 17 of their first 18 games, the Titans suddenly had a three-game winning streak, including 66-64 over Glenn in triple overtime and 47-42 over East Forsyth. … Davie, which rallied past West 47-36 in January, dropped from a tie for second to third. … West only hit one 3-pointer all night, but it outscored Davie at the foul line. West was 17-29 from the line; Davie 9-16.
Reynolds 77, Davie 61
When the teams met on Jan. 7, Davie led 27-26 at halftime before losing 69-50. The rematch at Reynolds on Feb. 5 followed a similar blueprint for the Demons, who led 24-23 at halftime before outscoring Davie 53-38 in the second half.
Johnson, Reid and King popped 3-pointers in the first quarter to give Davie confidence. Maddox kept Davie in the game in the third, scoring 12 points on five field goals and two free throws. One of the top plays of the year capped a 6-0 run at the end of the third to cut Reynolds’ 46-37 lead to 46-43: Maddox’s no-look pass to Johnson for a layup.
“Now it’s anybody’s game,” Absher said.
But Jaben Mars, Tyreik Leach and Caden Davis would not let first-place Reynolds (12-8 overall) lose. Mars had 11 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth. Leach went 4-4 from the line in the fourth to finish with 25. Davis had eight of his 11 in the fourth, including 5-5 free-throw shooting.
After missing nine of 17 foul shots in the first three quarters, the Demons went 10-10 in the fourth. It was their third straight win since an OT setback to Glenn.
“It was a much better game than (77-61),” said Absher, whose team trailed by seven with two minutes left. “Our guys competed. It was a quick turnaround (after the W. Forsyth game), and to play with that intensity and competitiveness spoke highly of them.”
Maddox did all he could to lift Davie, scoring 24 and hitting 6 of 7 free throws. The sophomore’s previous high was 22.
Reid had 11, Johnson 10, King five and Zymere Hudson three. Matt James, Taylor, Zach Smith and Redmon had two each.
Glenn 61, Davie 54
Maddox’s one-handed, 75-footer at the first-half horn tied things at 32 in Kernersville on Feb. 7, and Davie kept fighting in the second half. It was 40-39 Glenn late in the third.
That’s when Davie’s chances ended. Glenn ripped off eight straight points to take control at 48-39.
Maddox was at it again with 19 points and 11-14 foul shooting. Johnson had 12. Smith (10) turned in his two-year varsity high. Reid had nine, while Williams and Redmon had two apiece.
The Bobcats (13-9) won their third straight since the triple-OT loss to W. Forsyth. Davie (12-9 overall) beat Glenn 63-54 in OT in the first meeting, but it is 1-5 since. Reynolds is first at 7-1 and Glenn is next at 6-2. Davie, E. Forsyth and W. Forsyth are tied for third at 3-5.
“We were playing really well,” Absher told the Winston-Salem Journal. “We just hit a tough stretch. A lot of it stemmed from just missing a lot of open shots that I feel like we’re capable of making. They’re still competing and still playing for each other.”
Davie’s top three scoring averages: Johnson 15, Maddox 12.4 and Reid 7.8.