Cold Davie burned by Spartans

WINSTON-SALEM — Davie County lived by the jump shot all season long. It died by it on Tuesday night.

The War Eagles were eliminated in the first round of the state 4A playoffs, falling 81-63 at old rival Mount Tabor.

Davie (16-9) shot a frigid 30.1 percent from the field, didn’t score for nearly four minutes and never climbed back in the game after missing eight of its first 10 shots and 15 of its first 20.

“We got the same shots we got all year,” sighed Davie coach Jim Young. “Tonight, they just didn’t go.

“We were just back on our heels all night. You can’t box, play golf or play basketball like that. You have to get up on your toes and go for it.”

Metro Conference No. 3 seed Mount Tabor
(11-14), on the other hand, looked nothing at all like a team with a losing record. The Spartans, who placed five in double figures, performed with flawless precision, especially in the first half. They had the game well under control — 46-26 — at halftime.

“That first half, that’s what we’ve been looking for all season long,” said Spartans coach Andy Muse.

Still, there were bright spots for Davie, No. 3 seed from the Central Piedmont.

Senior guard Sean Stevens struggled to a 5-for-15 shooting night, but did hit four 3-pointers, including one early in the second quarter that gave him the state record for 3s in a season. Stevens finished the night with 16 points and completed his banner year with 127 3s.

Another senior, Dan Sullivan, had one his finest games, scoring 27 points on 8-for-15 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds against Tabor’s much taller front line.

But the Sullivan show wasn’t enough because Davie never could get high-scoring guard Nemanja Kreckovic (0-for-8 from the field) and post player Chris Stein (0-for-3) untracked against Tabor’s tenacious man-to-man defense.

“Yeah, we got beat bad,” said Young. “That doesn’t affect what we accomplished this season. We weren’t as big or athletic as most, but these kids overachieved. I’m as proud of them as any team I’ve coached.”

n

NOTES:A perennial doormat not long ago, Davie posted its fourth straight winning season. ... Davie’s girls will have a chance to avenge the loss by the boys. They host Tabor tonight at 7. ... Rob Johnson led Mount Tabor with 16 points and also did the defensive job on Kreckovic.

DAVIE COUNTY (63) — Sullivan 27, Stevens 16, Hunter 6, Kreckovic 5, Garner 3, Vestal 3, Nelson 2, Moser 1.

MOUNT TABOR (81) — Johnson 16, Bogard 13, Gaynor 13, Dohner 12, Hinds 10, Garmon 8, Logan 7, Fearn 2.

Davie 11 15 17 20 — 63

Mt. Tabor 20 26 19 16 — 81