Tigers run their way into second round
The Darlington Tigers have opened up big leads early and dominated opponents all through the regular season.
Why would the state playoffs be any different?
On the strength of 11 3-point shots, the No. 5-ranked Tigers won their Class A Division I state tournament opener in convincing fashion on Wednesday at Van Es Arena, powering past the Elbert County Blue Devils 75-51.
It was the 15th win by at least 20 points for the Tigers this year, and it sets up a top-five showdown this weekend, when Darlington will host No. 3 Mount Pisgah Christian in the second round.
The Tigers (22-3) turned a seven-point lead after the first quarter into a 47-21 advantage at the half. By the end of the third quarter, it was a 63-33 cushion, and the lead never got closer than 23 points the rest of the way.
“It’s always important to get off to a good start, and our guys did a good job of attacking from the start tonight,” said Darlington head coach Nathan West. “That first half really set the tone. That’s what our identity is, to spread the ball around, find the open guy and shoot the 3 or get to the rim. Our guys did a lot of good things tonight.”
Elbert County (3-26) tried to run and play the transition game early with Darlington. The Blue Devils drove the lane and drew several fouls in the first quarter, but only converted 1-of-5 from the foul line.
Despite trailing only 19-12 at the end of the quarter, Elbert County could only watch as the Tigers went on a 12-1 run early in the second period to build a 34-15 lead.
Darlington senior Szymon Paluch then went on a run of his own, scoring 11 straight points on four straight possessions in the final two minutes of the quarter. By halftime, the Tigers were firmly in control, 47-21.
“That’s the great thing about our guys, that we have a lot of players who can get on a roll like that,” West said. “And we also have such an unselfish group, so they share the ball well, and they don’t care who shoots or scores from game to game. That’s a great identity for a basketball team.”
D’marion Floyd had a gamehigh 25 points, including 12 in the third quarter, to pace Darlington. Paluch and Jack Bell finished with 15 each.
Quan Moss and Grady Jones had 16 points apiece to lead Elbert County.