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By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record

Things began going sideways in a 58-43 loss to East Forsyth on Jan. 24. Coach Josh Pittman’s concern kicked into high gear in the next game, a 59-48 upset loss at Reagan on Jan. 28.
So with three and a half minutes remaining, Davie’s varsity boys basketball coach had seen enough and he put three freshmen from the JV on the floor.
“It’s like you’re pushing every button trying to get to the floor,” Pittman said. “I don’t get what’s the cause for the lack of energy and effort. It’s been kind of bad for two games and it’s time for change.”
The War Eagles opened up an early 8-5 lead, but Reagan erased that with a 9-0 run. Landon King and Elliott Erlandsson keyed a 9-4 spurt as Davie pulled within 18-17.
But then the War Eagles unraveled. They went 5:59 without a field goal and found themselves down 36-22. Their first field goal of the third came at the 3:50 mark on a fast-break layup by Isaac Swisher. Erlandsson led an 8-3 run that cut Reagan’s lead to 48-41 with three minutes left, but that would be Davie’s last push.
With around 3:30 to go, Pittman summoned freshmen Noah Dulin, William Martin and Draeton Nance. He also inserted sophomore backup Ben Reid. The coach liked what he saw down the stretch.
“Noah had five points and three rebounds in four minutes,” he said. “And it wasn’t like (East’s) starters weren’t in there. My job is to put the kids out there that give us the best chance to win.”
Erlandsson put up 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but there were not many positives to pull from this one. Davie went 2 of 16 from the 3-point line, it was outscored by 12 at the foul line and it was outrebounded 29-16.
The loss dropped Davie from a tie for second to a tie for third in the CPC standings. Reagan (11-7) lost the first meeting 56-55.
Tabor 54, Davie 50
It’s been a sudden fall for the War Eagles. On Jan. 17, they were tied for first with West Forsyth. Two weeks later, after a loss at Tabor, they were in fourth.
Even though Davie’s slide reached three games at Tabor, this effort was something to build on.
“I thought (the attitude, energy and effort) was ten times better,” Pittman said. “We played hard. I thought we battled the whole game. I’m super proud of those kids.”
The War Eagles jumped to an 8-5 lead, and even when Jackson Powers limped off with a toe injury halfway through the first quarter, they maintained the upper hand for a good while.
Bryson Mickey ignited an 11-0 run with a 3-pointer. Erlandsson scored inside. The best play of the night was next: Dulin got a steal in the frontcourt and threw long to his brother Nance. Nance gave it right back and Dulin drilled a pull-up 3 to bring the Davie fans to their feet. Erlandsson hit two free throws, Tabor went 5:11 without a point and Davie had a 24-17 lead. During the run, Powers returned from the locker room and checked in at the 4:18 mark of the second after missing over eight minutes of action.
When Ethan Driver nailed a triple early in the third, Davie had a 29-22 advantage. Its momentum quickly vanished, though. Davie had a 4:25 scoring drought, the dry spell ending on a fast-break basket by Driver that provided a 31-30 lead.
Powers was noticeably in pain and Tabor was taking control. A Mickey runner and a fast-break dunk by Erlandsson cut Davie deficits to 37-33 and 39-35 with 5:40 remaining, but that was as close as Davie would get in the late stages. Mickey hit back-to-back 3s and two Erlandsson free throws sliced Tabor’s lead to 53-49, but only 13 seconds remained as Tabor avenged a 63-59 loss to Davie on Jan. 3.
Mickey had 16 points and four assists. Erlandsson had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Driver had 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals. A limited Powers managed two points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
“Jackson battled through and gave it a run,” Pittman said. “I can’t be more proud of him. He hurt his toe again (after suffering the same injury during Christmas break). He stepped wrong and hurt it again. That was big because it kind of slowed us down, but he battled through even though I know he was in pain.”
Notes: Pittman pulled up Dulin and Nance because they bring athleticism and high energy. “Everybody just has to keep being good teammates and keep supporting even if it’s your moment or it’s not your moment,” he said. “If we keep playing that way, I’m sure we’ll start picking up wins and we’ll be at a good spot when it’s time for the conference tournament.” … The Spartans (15-4) have been on fire since the loss at Davie, winning seven of eight. … The top four in the CPC: West Forsyth 9-1, Tabor 8-2, East Forsyth 7-3, Davie 6-4. … The War Eagles, who shot 33 percent against Tabor, dropped to 13-6 overall. Tabor did not shoot much better at 39 percent.
Reagan 59, Davie 48 – Elliott Erlandsson 15, Landon King 7, Ethan Driver 6, Noah Dulin 5, Asher Tolbert 5, Jackson Powers 4, Bryson Mickey 4, Isaac Swisher 2.
Tabor 54, Davie 50 – Bryson Mickey 16, Elliott Erlandsson 12, Ethan Driver 10, Asher Tolbert 6, Noah Dulin 4, Jackson Powers 2.