WS Chronicle

Photo by Craig T. Greenle

Mount Tabor’s Keyshawn Burrell comes down with a rebound against Davie County in JV basketball action last week.

BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE

FOR THE CHRONICLE

The first two minutes of the game were disastrous for Mount Tabor in its JV basketball match-up against Davie County. By the end of the first quarter, though, the complexion of the game changed dramatically.

The Spartans took total control and cruised to a one-sided 59-32 win over the visiting War Eagles last Friday.

Down 8-2 in the first quarter, it appeared that Mount Tabor might be in for a long night. Instead, the Spartans turned up the pressure and outscored Davie 25-0 over the final six minutes of the quarter.

Swing player Darren Crump, who finished with a game-high 18 points, buried three 3-pointers to set the tone. In the paint, Dillon Bullard scored 13 of his 16 points in the opening quarter. By the end of the quarter, Mount Tabor held a commanding 27-8 lead.

The second quarter was more competitive, but Davie County wasn’t able make up any ground. The Spartans led 39-22 at intermission.

“For some reason, we started off by not paying attention to details at the defensive end,” said coach Willie Harrison of Mount Tabor. “That’s what allowed them to get some quick and easy buckets. But once we settled down and paid attention to what we were doing, that’s when we really got things going.”

Defensively, the Spartans handcuffed the War Eagles, who were limited to single-digits’ scoring in three of the quarters. Davie County did not have one player to score in double figures. J. Hendrix and C. Sell finished with nine points apiece.

Entering the last half of January, the Spartans are looking to prove that they are better than unexpected fourth-place finish in the Lash-Chronicle JV Tournament.

Mount Tabor entered as the No. 1 seed, but bowed out with back-to-back losses to Reynolds (semifinals) and West Forsyth (third-place consolation game).

“We’re still in the process of everybody learning to play the game the right way,” said Harrison. “We’re not going to do anything different from what we did at the start of the season. We have 12 high-energy guys who still have a lot to learn.

Harrison is confident that Mount Tabor will make amends for its surprising early exit from the Lash-Chronicle. The Spartans have a strong front line with Dillon Bullard, Jalen Moore, Duncan Smits and back-up Cole Foley, who scored 12 points against Davie County.

The backcourt figures to elevate its level of play as the season progresses. Carson Anthis, Quest Aldridge and Crump provide quickness, scoring and tenacity. Crump, a reliable scorer and defender, had to sit out the last two games of the Lash-Chronicle with an injury.

“We’re looking to get the No. 1 spot back,” said Harrison. “But we also know that with our upcoming games, we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’re still fighting to get back to where we were before the tournament. To do that, it’s all a matter of us getting in the gym and everybody learning more about how to play with one another.”