By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
MOCKSVILLE ó Davie Countyís Caleb Martin lifted off while he was still 12 feet from the rim on an attempted dunk.
Martin barely missed an NBA-worthy jam, but teammate Shannon Dillard had his back. Dillard was right there to flush home the rebound.
Talented Davie played well above the rim on Friday night and crushed work-in-progress West Rowan 90-69. It was worse than it sounds. Davie led by 32 after three quarters, and coach Mike Absher played everyone but his assistant coaches down the stretch.
ěWe had a great crowd and we executed well,î said Davie sophomore Cody Martin, Calebís equally talented twin brother. ěWe had a lot of teamwork and a lot of energy.î
The Martins combined for 28 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists ó a combined triple double for the super siblings. The Martins are special, and thatís why N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried, among others, was in the house to say hello.
Itís not like West is awful. Davie is exceptional.
ěWeíre not OK with getting beat like this, and weíre not OK with 0-3,î West coach Mike Gurley said. ěBut we know where we are. Weíve had two practices and weíve played three very good basketball teams (Davie twice, Lake Norman once). Itís not like weíve been playing the Sisters of the Poor from Deep River, S.C.î
Itís probably time to mention that explosive Davie guard Nate Jones drilled six 3-pointers and tossed in 30. Dillard and the 6-foot-6 Martin twins give Davie unusual size, and that leaves Jones with lots of open looks.
Davie is 5-1. The game it lost ó to Greensboro Smith ó Jones was sitting out for disciplinary reasons.
ěJones is the X-factor, the key to their team,î Gurley said. ěIf he wasnít in there you could play zone, suck it in on the big guys.î
West found no way to stop Davie. Davieís 27-point first quarter included an ungodly climax. Cody Martin passed to his brother, who swished a spinning 3-pointer from the halfcourt area as the SRO crowd went nuts.
ěCoach (Tim) Kenney told me before the game that we were really focused, and he hit the nail on the head,î Absher said. ěFor three quarters, at both ends of the floor, we played about as well as we can. We were unselfish, we made the extra pass, we swarmed on defense, and we hit the boards a lot better than we did in our first game with West.î
West lost that one 74-63, so it had reason to believe it could be competitive in the rematch. Jarvis Morgan (14 points), Alexis Archie (12) and Devin Parks (11) hit tough shots, but it wasnít nearly enough.
Westís leader, senior guard Keshun Sherill, hurt his right hand in the second quarter, although he got it taped up and kept going. He finished with 14 points, although the injury was clearly affecting his shot.
ěIíll be all right, I just jammed it going for a ball,î Sherrill said. ěIt was just a tough night. Davieís a very good team. They were executing great, and they couldnít miss.î
Davie led 45-25 at halftime. Jones capped the half with a four-point play after the Falcons missed a layup. That was a six-point swing.
Dillard finished with 16 points for the War Eagles, and soph Kenyon Tatum bounced off the bench to grab 12 athletic rebounds.
ěWe played together tonight,î Caleb Martin said. ěIf we continue to do that, weíll have one of the best seasons Davieís ever had.î
No one doubts it. But donít write off the Falcons. Theyíve been down this road before.
ěI told my guys they beat a good team,î Absher said. ěGive íem time. West will be a handful in their league and in the playoffs.î
WEST ROWAN (69) ó Sherrill 14, J. Morgan 13, Archie 12, Parks 11, Reddick 7, S. Martin 5, T. Morgan 3, Tucker 2, D. Miller 2, Cuthbertson, Gallagher, Blackwood.
DAVIE (90) ó Jones 30, Dillard 16, Co. Martin 15, Ca. Martin 13, Tatum 8, Sell 5, Absher 2, Beeson 1, K. Miller, Banner, Campbell.
W. Rowan 12 13 13 31 ó 69
Davie 27 18 25 20 ó 90