Could there be two teams that started the season in the same boat that seem to be moving in more polar opposite directions than the Boiling Springs Bulldogs and the Dorman Cavaliers?
Prior to the season, the only thing that was for certain about these two squads was that they lost a lot from last year and that they both had a lot of returners that had not seen significant minutes on the floor save for their seniors. As things have progressed, Boiling Springs still finds themselves in a situation where though they have 2 standouts in Reese Walter and Isaiah Atkins, they haven’t had a consistent third guy that can score the basketball. Jeremiah Favorite has been a spark for the Bulldogs off the bench at times, but you really cannot name one other player that has consistently contributed the type of numbers it takes to be competitive in a region like 2-5A. Add in that the ‘Dogs have struggled to close a lot of games that have been close down the stretch, and you have a team that is at the bottom quarter of the standings.
On the other side of the coin, Dorman has begun to gel as a team and while they haven’t necessarily been dominant, they are finding ways to win the close games to keep pace and stay within striking distance of Byrnes at the top of the standings.
Despite the perception of where these 2 region rivals stand, they have played one another close this season. Back on December 10th, the Cavaliers and Bulldogs faced off to open region play in a contest where Dorman virtually led wire-to-wire. Boiling Springs trailed by as many as 13 points and were in as large a deficit as 9 in the home stretch. But, Dorman began to make critical mistakes over the final 3 minutes, which allowed the Bulldogs to pull back to within a possession. In the end, Dorman held on for the 48-46 win even though Boiling Springs had several chances at the rim to try and tie the game in the waning seconds.
The story of Friday night’s return game at Dorman Arena would be almost the polar opposite.
The Cavaliers took the lead on their opening possession on a three from Aaden Bruton-Smith and would lead the entirety of the low-scoring and frankly sloppy first half (although Boiling Springs managed to keep within 5 points of them) to the tune of a 25-20 score at the break.
In the 2nd half, the mutual sloppiness continued with neither team even managing to attempt a shot until Reese Walter put up a three that hit off the front iron just shy of halfway through the third frame. Fortunately, the dry spell didn’t last much longer and the final 3 minutes and some change of the quarter were filled with traded blows. Boiling Springs took their first lead of the game with 3:15 to play in the period when Reese Walter put up a layup that was interfered with while the ball was in the cylinder, resulting in the basket counting on a goaltending call. Moments later, the Cavaliers answered on a layup from Will Bush.
Eventually, Boiling Springs managed to not only reclaim the lead, but also create some cushion as Isaiah Atkins got going. He finished out the third quarter with 4 points on back-to-back baskets that was complemented well by consecutive treys from a source many would think unlikely – junior shooting guard Luke Underwood. Their heroics plus Dorman’s turnover woes helped give the Bulldogs a narrow 34-33 advantage heading into the final 8 minutes.
Boiling Springs looked to be on the verge of a huge upset victory, leading by as much as 6 when the game was coming down to the wire. Isaiah Atkins carried the momentum over into the 4th quarter, scoring 8 more points to push his team-leading total for the night to 17. But, the Cavaliers never relented.
“I told them to take it one possession at a time”, said Dorman Head Coach Thomas Ryan of what he told his team as they trailed late. “I give Boiling Springs a ton of credit. Their 3-2 zone defense really did bother us. We struggled to get the shots we wanted. Fortunately, we showed a ton of resilience when it mattered the most.”
That perseverance ended up paying off in the end. Having not scored a point since leading the way with 6 in the first quarter, Aaden Bruton-Smith buried a triple from the left corner for his third made three of the game to pull Dorman back to within a point with about a minute to play. About thirty seconds later, Keenan Arcega-Whiteside made the play of the night for the Cavs when he laid in a putback and drew a foul in the process. He drained the and-1 with ease to give his team the lead for good. In the end, once again Boiling Springs fell short, missing a three from Reese Walter that put them in a situation where they had to foul to create more possessions. Jaden Johnson took full advantage and salted the game away with a pair of clutch free throws as Dorman once again held on – this time by a final margin of 50-46.
“I feel like that is the best way to describe it”, said Dorman Head Coach Thomas Ryan. “We just found a way to win. It looked like the game was about over. At the 2 and a half/three minute mark, I didn’t feel real good about it. Jaden Johnson made a big play and Keenan had a huge and-1. Those guys willed us to win. They believed we were going to get it done and we did. That is the mark of a good team.This team is still very young – we have 2 sophomores out there a lot. They are still learning to play. But, to get a win like this is big.”
Dorman was led by Jaden Johnson with 19 points. Bruton-Smith was also in double figures with 10 while Will Bush narrowly missed that mark in an 8-point effort. Aside from Atkins, Boiling Springs got significant contributions from Underwood, who finished with 9 points, as well as Jeremiah Favorite and Reese Walter – both with 6.
The victory helped Dorman kick off the 2nd half of their region 2-5A slate by upping their record to 5-2 (15-4 overall) ahead of another tough game coming up at home against Riverside Tuesday night.
“It is going to be crucial. Every night in this league is tough. There are no easy outs. I told {Boiling Springs} Coach Martin before the game that I believe there is more parity in the league than I have ever seen. Any given Tuesday or Friday night, if you are not ready to play, you will get beat”, said Ryan.
Boiling Springs, who fell to 2-6 in region and 10-8 overall, will host a return match with Spartanburg – who they defeated 63-54 back in mid December – on Tuesday.
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