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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

It’s crazy what the Davie boys basketball team did in the first round of the CPC Tournament.
Bryson Mickey, who averages 10.1 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals, injured his left ankle just 47 seconds into the game, was helped off the court by the trainer and teammate Isaac Swisher, was given crutches and might have seen the Davie court for the last time. Not only did the War Eagle lose their senior point guard, big man Jackson Powers missed half the first half because of foul trouble.
You figured the War Eagles were in a lot of trouble. But no. Draeton Nance, Ethan Driver and Elliott Erlandsson were absolutely fantastic and Davie opened up a can of you-know-what on Reagan. Fourth-seeded Davie won 80-45 over the visiting fifth-seeded Raiders on Feb. 17. It was an amazing performance.
“We played hard, man,” coach Josh Pittman said. “The boys were locked in. The rotation is a little shorter now, but everybody performed well and we got a lot out of everybody.”
Driver ignited his team with a 3-pointer. Erlandsson scored six points in 51 seconds. A Nance steal led to a two-hand dunk by Noah Dulin and Davie was up 16-7 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Cam Owens got free inside for two, Driver hit another triple and Nance put in six points in 47 seconds. Owens scored off a long outlet pass from Nance. Erlandsson scored five more in just 38 seconds. When Powers banged a 3 at the buzzer, Davie was ahead 39-16 at halftime and Reagan was all but sapped.
“I knew if we played defense, the offense would take care of itself,” Pittman said.
Although the second half effectively played out like recess, a highlight reel play of the game came in the third. Dulin got on the floor for a loose ball. He slapped it to his brother and Nance dove and saved it right before it went out of bounds under the basket. Driver received Nance’s pass and laid it in.
Davie rode the first-half momentum to a 65-27 lead at the end of the third.
A trio of War Eagles gave Davie just what it needed with Mickey sidelined and Powers limited by fouls. A Nance explosion resulted in a varsity high of 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five assists. The freshman drilled 3 of 4 triples. Driver, who scored a two-year varsity high of 17 to go with nine rebounds and seven steals, and Erlandsson (17 points) were huge. Driver converted 3 of 6 from the 3-point line. Dulin was a big part of the rout with seven points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals. Owens had seven points and Powers had three points and four assists.
“Ethan’s buying in,” Pittman said. “The younger guys bring a renewed energy. It’s refreshing, kids just wanting to play hard and be a part on the court, and it shows. It shows in every aspect of the game. I couldn’t ask for more. When you’re getting that from freshmen and juniors, I can’t complain. Those kids are focused. I tell them practice is preparation for the game. If you take that serious, everything else will take care of itself.”
Notes: The Mickey injury did cast a shadow over a remarkable effort that saw Davie score the most points in 33 games. “That’s my guy,” Pittman said. “First of all, I think of him as a son of mine and I love him to death. I hate to see that happen in his last weeks as a senior. So my concern wasn’t really about the game; it was more about him. It looked bad.” … The teams split in the regular season, with Davie winning 56-55 and Reagan winning 59-48. … Davie hit 11 of 24 3s to improve to 17-7 and match last year’s win total. … The Raiders’ fifth straight loss dropped them to 12-13.
West 61, Davie 50
Nothing went right in the first half against top-seeded West Forsyth. The semifinal game was held at Reagan on Feb. 18.
The War Eagles trailed by 10 after the first and by 19 at halftime, but they did rally and give West a little scare.
Nance’s 3-ball cut the fourth-quarter deficit to 45-38. Powers converted a tough bank to make it 45-40. Powers was double-teamed but found a cutting Erlandsson as Davie got within 47-42. Powers hit a 3, Davie got a stop and it had possession with West’s lead down to 49-45 with 2:55 to play.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Davie turned it over and West ran away in the late moments.
Erlandsson stayed red hot with 17 points and seven rebounds. Driver built on his own hot streak with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. He has 44 points and 28 boards across three games. Powers turned in eight points, seven boards and two blocks. Dulin had five points, four assists and three steals.
Notes: West’s 11-game winning streak lifted its record to 24-2. … It was Davie’s third loss to the Titans. … Neither team shot well, going a combined 5 of 38 from 3. … No. 2 Mt. Tabor upset West 63-55 in the final. … Davie was at home Feb. 25 in the first round of the 4-A playoffs.
Davie 80, Reagan 45 – Draeton Nance 19, Ethan Driver 17, Elliott Erlandsson 17, Cam Owens 7, Noah Dulin 7, Ben Reid 3, Jackson Powers 3, William Martin 2, George Sakai 2, Isaac Swisher 2, Noah Tysinger 1.
West Forsyth 61, Davie 50 – Elliott Erlandsson 17, Ethan Driver 14, Jackson Powers 8, Noah Dulin 5, Draeton Nance 5.