By Dylan Branscome
December 4, 2024 – The Davidson-Davie STORM cruised to another Region 10 victory, 121-84, over the Catawba Valley Red Hawks on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at Brinkley Gym. Led behind five Davidson players scoring in the double digits, they improved to 9-0 on the season and 4-0 in Region 10 play.
This was a physical game for both teams. There was a combined 89 free throws, 46 from Catawba, and 43 from Davidson. Both teams shot exceptionally from behind the line as well, with the Red Hawks shooting 82.6% and the STORM shot 76.7%. Two Davidson players, Ethan English and Aden Taylor shot a combined perfect 16/16 from the line.
Catawba Valley shoots 40% from behind the arc this season on average, and they shoot around 23 three-pointers a game, so they are a threat from deep. However, the STORM did a fantastic job of defending the three, forcing the Red Hawks to shoot an abysmal 22% (6/27), while also forcing 24 turnovers.
To kick off the game, Will Gray punched a highlight-reel and-one dunk over a Catawba Valley player, making Brinkley Gym explode. Gray then followed that up with a jumper and a three to get the STORM a quick 17-12 lead in the first eight minutes of the half.
Davidson continued to cause turnovers and finish well around the rim, even when they were fouled. Catawba Valley continued to stay in it however, behind a 31-point performance Zion Dixon, who was hard to stop from driving to the basket. “He’s a heck of a player,” head coach Matt Ridge said. “He’s really quick, he’s crafty, and he’s talented.”
Some big threes from Jaylen Wilkeerson and Kobe Parker helped the STORM keep their double-digit cushion going into the second half, up 50-39.
The second half was opened up by back-to-back threes from Dane Stewart, who had been quiet up until that point, giving Davidson an early 19-point lead quickly. The physical defense did not stop as Davidson-Davie continued to force turnovers and get to the free-throw line. Lamonte Cousar, who also had a relatively quiet first half, exploded in this half to get to 23 points on the night, using his athleticism to grab offensive rebounds and get positioning for easy layups.
The turnovers and offensive efficiency from the STORM was proving to be too much for Catawba Valley, as Davidson was starting to quickly pull away. Davidson ended up scoring a season-high 71 points in the second half, outscoring the Red Hawks by 36.
The offense truly started to click, leading to many high-energy moments. English had a fast-break dunk, along with a Gray to Jamaal Chrisp alley-oop dunk. Dylan Couse and Corion Marshall even had a nice sequence that led to a Marshall baseline slam, and Marshall then had a high-flying fast-break dunk right after that. The night was capped off with a Taylor to Conall Lowry lob, cementing the dominating win in the final minutes.
“I thought we created a lot of offense off of our defense,” Coach Ridge said. “We got some runouts, some deflections. We fly around and that’s when we’re at our best.”
The STORM return to action on the road against Region 10 opponent, the Southwest Virginia Flying Eagles, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 3:00 PM EST in Cedar Bluff, Virginia.