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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

Noah Dulin and Draeton Nance were at it again when Davie’s JV boys basketball team tangled with Northern Guilford, the freshman brothers combing for 38 points. Against Central Davidson, they accounted for 41 of Davie’s 61.
The War Eagles won both games to stay unbeaten.
Davie 65, NG 53
Davie prevailed in a hard-fought game at Northern Guilford on Dec. 4.
The War Eagles trailed 17-15 after the first quarter, but the Dulin/Nance tandem scored 17 of Davie’s 22 in the second quarter as Davie surged to a 37-30 halftime lead. The War Eagles took a 49-44 lead into the fourth, and they pulled away despite going 0 for 6 from the foul line in the final period.
After scoring seven and six points in the previous two games, Dulin found his groove, scoring 23 on 10-of-18 shooting. Nance (15) converted 5 of 9 shots and hit double figures for the fourth time in as many games.
“They’re a very good program,” coach Brandon Thalasinos said of N. Guilford. “It was a gritty win. We had to win in a different way because we didn’t play our best game. We missed a lot of easy stuff, but that’s probably the best defense we’ve seen.”
Aiden Horton a big factor with a season-high 13 points.
“It’s probably the best team we’ve seen so far, especially defensively,” Thalasinos said. “We had to find a way to win, and we did.”
Davie 61, C. Davidson 40
Davie parlayed the N. Guilford momentum into a blowout home win over Central Davidson on Dec. 6. The first meeting was a struggle – Davie won 66-56 at Central a week earlier after trailing by three early in the fourth – but the Spartans (2-2) put up little resistance in the Davie gym.
Nance set the stage for Davie’s fifth win by scoring 11 in the first quarter, which ended with Davie ahead 19-12. The spread would keep growing.
Nance poured in 24 points to raise his average to 20. Dulin produced 17 points, four assists and lifted his scoring average to 15.6.
“Drae and Noah got theirs, but as a team we rebounded very well and were able to force a lot of turnovers,” Thalasinos said. “We did a lot better job of staying out of foul trouble this game.”
Horton (eight points, six rebounds) and William Martin (six points, five rebounds) helped Davie’s dominance.
“I’ve getting that energy whether I have my starting five in or if I have my first subs in,” Thalasinos said. “I don’t see much intensity drop off when I go to my bench.”
Davie 55, Reagan 32
Davie whipped an opponent by 20-plus points for the fourth time in the CPC opener at home on Dec. 10.
Horton and Dulin lifted the hosts to a 15-8 first-quarter lead and the Raiders never threatened. Horton finished with a season-high 16 on 7-of-11 shooting. Dulin also had 16, followed by Nance and Justin Haggler with nine each.
Davie 64, East 51
After a 28-28 first half, a 15-4 run in the third laid the foundation for a win at East Forsyth on Dec. 13. At 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the CPC, Davie is riding its longest winning streak in five years.
Before Dulin spearheaded the decisive run in the third, Davie got a big boost from Cam Knox, who scored eight of his nine points in the second after entering with a 1.3 average through six games. Knox’s work helped Davie erase a 15-10 deficit and tie things up at halftime.
Nance had 16 points with four 3-pointers, four steals and four assists. Dulin scored 15 on 8-of-13 shooting and added five steals and two blocked shots. Horton had 11 points and William Martin six points, six rebounds and two blocks.
“We had two mismatches that worked out for us,” Thalasinos said. “William had a mismatch on him. It wasn’t so much him scoring, but he was able to box out and get a lot of rebounds. Aiden had a mismatch on him and we were able to get that working for us.”
Nance (17.8) and Dulin (15.5) hold the top scoring averages, but Horton (10.5) has grabbed our attention after averaging 3.9 last year as a freshman. This year he’s cracked double figures four times, three more than he did a year ago.
“I’m super proud and happy for Aiden,” Thalasinos said. “We’ve talked about using his size more and stop just relying on his outside jumpshot. His jumpshot is phenomenal, but he has size and does not mind contact. He can drive in the paint and make a lot of things happen. He has taken that to heart. He has come up big for us.”
Davie’s winning streak is the longest since the 2019-20 squad, which was coached by Ty Woodring, won seven straight.
Davie 65, N. Guilford 54 – Noah Dulin 23, Draeton Nance 15, Aiden Horton 13, William Martin 6, Justin Haggler 5, Ian Patton 2, Wyatt Harwood 1.
Davie 61, C. Davidson 40 – Draeton Nance 24, Noah Dulin 17, Aiden Horton 8, William Martin 6, Carter Cornett 4, Ian Patton 2.
Davie 55, Reagan 32 – Aiden Horton 16, Noah Dulin 16, Draeton Nance 9, Justin Haggler 9, William Martin 2, Carter Cornett 2, Cam Knox 1.
Davie 64, E. Forsyth 51 – Draeton Nance 16, Noah Dulin 15, Aiden Horton 11, Cam Knox 9, William Martin 4, Ian Patton 3, Justin Haggler 2, Tate Helton 2, Edarius Oliver 2.