Once again, the Dorman Cavaliers find themselves in familiar territory playing for another Upper State championship Monday night at Bob Jones University. The Cavaliers have won 14 straight games and enter their matchup with Lexington with a 27-2 overall record. While the results this year have been what you would expect from a Thomas Ryan coached team, Dorman has gone about it a bit different than in years past. Without a dominant back to the basket player, this team has leaned on its guard play to do most of the work on both ends of the court.
While the scoring has been balanced on offense, this team most certainly hangs its hat on the defensive end. The Cavaliers are holding opponents to 51 points per game, on just 37% shooting from the floor. The defense has been even better during the postseason, as they held Fort Mill to just 33 points in their round 3 win. Offensively, the Cavs have three players that average double figures in scoring, led by All-State senior guard Sean Lindsay at 13.6 per game. Lindsay is an excellent outside shooter who has knocked down 47% of his three point shots this season. Guards Terry Leonard (45% 3PT) and Chase Harris (42% 3PT) have also been outstanding from behind the arc this year as Dorman makes an average of 8 threes a game.
While Dorman has been rolling along, this Monday’s game against Lexington should prove to be a tough test. Lexington is 20-6 on the year and won the Region 4 regular season title. Lexington is outscoring opponents by an average of 17 points per game and have defeated J.L. Mann, Rock Hill and T.L. Hanna in the postseason to get to this point. Lexington has a star in wing player Cam Scott, and the Cavaliers will have to focus on slowing down the star Junior if they want to come away with a win. The Wildcats are long and athletic, and this may be the first time in years the Cavs won’t have a size advantage, so the rebounding battle will be something to keep an eye on. If Dorman can shoot well and not be dominated on the glass, they have a great opportunity to come away with the win and a chance to play for another state title.
Dorman and Lexington will face off Monday night at 7:30 pm at Bob Jones University for the Upper State title.
