Mickey’s barrage buries Central for 3-0 boys
Published 1:35 pm Tuesday, December 3, 2024
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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record
The best news from the Davie varsity boys basketball team’s 22-point win at Central Davidson was Bryson Mickey’s second-half shooting barrage – not that “Mickey can get blazing hot” constitutes news.
Three days earlier, the War Eagles beat visiting North Iredell with predictable ease, 76-52. Coach Josh Pittman was not interested in a 40-point win. It was a prime opportunity to empty the bench early and often.
“I’m not the type to try to run up the score on somebody,” Pittman said. “We played everybody in the first half. It was an opportunity for kids to play and get better in game situations. Playing everybody was more important to me than trying to run the score up.”
Davie placed four guys in double figures: Mickey (13 points, five assists, four steals), Ethan Driver (13 points, four assists, four steals), Landon King (11 points) and Jackson Powers (11 points). King was perfect from the floor, going 4 for 4 overall and 2 for 2 from 3-point range.
“Landon’s practice energy is what dictates his game energy, and he’s put together some good practices,” Pittman said.
Hot-shooting Davie made 30 of 61 shots, getting seven points from Adam Brown, six from Isaac Swisher and five points and six rebounds from Elliott Erlandsson.
Pittman was ready to turn the page to the stiffer competition that awaited his club. “I’m ready to play somebody that does not play zone the whole game,” he said.
Davie 66, C. Davidson 44
Davie held a 22-21 halftime lead after an unremarkable first half, but everything came together in the second half as the War Eagles doubled their output with 44 second-half points on Nov. 29.
In the third quarter, Mickey exploded from 3-point territory, hitting three treys. When Mickey wasn’t ripping the nets, he was setting up teammates. He assisted 3s by Brown and Powers. When Swisher scored on a stickback, Davie had a 43-30 lead after going 5 of 7 from deep in the third. A 24-11 run turned a 21-19 deficit into a comfortable lead.
Mickey, who hit 7 of 12 shots overall and 6 of 9 3s, finished with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“He got going,” Pittman said. “It’s been a while since that rim has opened up for him like that, and I was happy for him. He’s been a complete point guard.”
Erlandsson shot 4 for 5 to score eight. King collected eight points, five rebounds and three assists. Powers peppered the stat sheet with six points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three assists. Cam Owens chipped in six points.
“On offense, we just had to make the extra pass and look for each other,” Pittman said. “We adjusted well and we defended well. Landon played well. Asher (Tolbert) did some positive things. His shots did not fall, but he’s starting to find his groove. Jackson was solid. They played defense to shut down the lane, and it was hard to get an inside presence when they’ve got three guys in the paint.”
Even though Davie improved to 3-0, Pittman still sees plenty of room for improvement.
“We are getting there,” he said. “It’s a process.”
Notes: Central stumbled to 1-1 after beating Alexander Central by eight. Davie beat AC by six in its opener. … Central sophomore Carson Hulsizer tormented AC with 37 points, but he wasn’t nearly as successful against Davie. “I said: ‘If we drop that 37 to 14 or 15, we win by 20,’” Pittman said. “We held him to 12 and ended up winning by 22. It was real simple math.”
Davie 76, N. Iredell 52 – Bryson Mickey 13, Ethan Driver 13, Landon King 11, Jackson Powers 11, Adam Brown 7, Isaac Swisher 6, Elliott Erlandsson 5, Ben Reid 4, Cam Owens 4, George Sakai 2.
Davie 66, C. Davidson 44 – Bryson Mickey 20, Elliott Erlandsson 8, Landon King 8, Jackson Powers 6, Cam Owens 6, Ethan Driver 5, Adam Brown 5, Isaac Swisher 4, Asher Tolbert 2, George Sakai 2.