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By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record

The Davie varsity boys basketball team entered Friday’s home game against East Forsyth in a tie for first place in the CPC. It left the court facing adversity.
The War Eagles have kinks to work out after a wretched loss, 58-43. East’s 18-9 run in the fourth quarter spoiled a milestone moment for senior Jackson Powers, who joined the 1,000-point club.
“In games like that, I always put it on three simple things: attitude, energy and effort,” coach Josh Pittman said. “At the beginning of the game, I felt like we were flat. I felt like our energy wasn’t there. I felt that we weren’t prepared. I felt like I got outcoached. We’ve gotta go back to the drawing board and I’ve gotta make the right decisions as far as playing time, starters and all that stuff to make sure that our energy is matching whoever we’re up against.”
The War Eagles faced an uphill climb all night. They dug a 10-2 hole before closing the gap to 13-10. They gave up 20 first-quarter points before getting back in the game with an 8-0 run that included a Bryson Mickey 3-pointer, a long two from Mickey and a post-up score from Isaac Swisher, who pulled Davie within 23-20 in the second quarter.
East moved in front 30-22, but Davie responded with a 9-2 run to get back in contention. Elliott Erlandsson scored five in a row for Davie before Landon King sank a 3, at which point it was 32-31 in East’s favor with 5:12 remaining in the third.
Alas, Davie went almost four minutes without a point as East scored eight unanswered.
Davie would make another push. Mickey scored on an offensive rebound, Powers delivered in the paint and Cam Owens drilled a 3 to cut East’s lead to 44-39 with 6:04 to play.
That turned out to be Davie’s last gasp, however. The last six minutes smelled like week-old fish for the home side as East closed the game with a 14-4 run.
Davie’s dismal offensive shooting numbers: 16 of 48 overall (4-18 from 3) for 33 percent. Pittman said his team simply did not bring the energy.
“It’s going to be a brutal film session,” he said. “I’ve got some changes on the horizon. It’s time for some wake-up calls because I’m tired of looking at the same lackadaisical energy.”
Davie conquered East 58-54 in December in Kernersville, but East (9-3 overall) has been red hot since a 71-45 shellacking from Mt. Tabor on Dec. 20, winning eight straight. Now West Forsyth has sole possession of first at 7-1, while Davie/Tabor/East are tied for second at 6-2.
“Every every game that we play from here on out, especially these four (West, Tabor, East and Reagan), are championship games,” Pittman said. “And when you’re in first place, teams make their season by beating the first-place team.”
Powers (11 points), Mickey (nine) and Erlandsson (seven) paced the scoring for Davie (13-4 overall). The War Eagles won the turnover battle (10-18), but were dominated on the glass (East 26 rebounds to Davie’s 15). East also shot the ball extremely well, going 22 of 38 for 57 percent. The visitors only attempted six 3s, hitting half of them. East is an imposing team that played to its strengths.
“That’s a big team,” Pittman said. “At one point, they were 6-5 or taller across the frontline.”
1,000-Point Club
After coming in with 991 career points, Powers joined a robust list by eclipsing 1,000 points.
The others to reach the magic number for the Davie boys are Dwayne Grant (2,007 points from 1973-77), Duane Phillips (1,544 from 1996-00), Drew Absher (1,460 from 2005-09), Shannon Dillard (1,387 from 2008-12), Nate Jones (1,348 from 2008-12), Sean Stevens (1,232 from 1998-02), Michael Walton (1,174 from 2015-19), Randall Ward (1,094 from 1963-67), Cody Martin (1,072 from 2010-13), Jingles Ijames (1,058 from 1966-70) and Cooper Wall (1,025 from 2014-18).
Powers, who also surpassed 800 career rebounds on thae night, cemented his spot in Davie lore by becoming the 12th male to hit the 1,000 mark in the school’s 69-year history. The kid who is quick with a smile, the kid with a sunny personality, drew high praise from Pittman.
“It’s a testament to his work and his grind over the last three years. And I’m super happy for him,” Pittman said. “If you’re a coach, you want a player like Jackson Powers all day long. He gives it all he’s got. He plays hurt, he plays sick, he plays tired. I feel blessed and honored to be able to be his coach for three years. He’s a guy that you can build a program around. I’m thankful for him – not just the basketball player but for the kid he is because he’s an amazing young man. He’s got a bright future and I know he’s going to be successful at whatever he does.”
E. Forsyth 58, Davie 43 – Jackson Powers 11, Bryson Mickey 9, Elliott Erlandsson 7, Isaac Swisher 6, Landon King 3, Cam Owens 3, Ethan Driver 3, Adam Brown 2.