Davidson Day holds off Cannon School at MLK event,
By Langston Wertz Jr.
MATTHEWS
In Ron Johnson’s first season back as head coach at Davidson Day, the Patriots finished 20-5 and put the recent past behind them.
Johnson coached at the Mecklenburg County school from 2009-12 and the Patriots went 66-15. But after Johnson left, Davidson Day endured two losing seasons and just one with more than 16 wins.
Now, with Johnson back for Year 2 of his return, Davidson Day looks like it’s ready to hunt a championship. The Patriots, a 2A private school, showed serious mettle in a 57-53 win over 4A state title contender Cannon School at the Carmel Christian MLK Showcase powered by Phenom Hoops
“It’s major,” Johnson said. “They’ve got a great team and this is a deep playoff, championship-type game. It’s major for our guys in terms of getting experience in playing games like this.”
Davidson Day (18-1), No. 2 in the Sweet 16, led No. 4 Cannon (18-6) by 11 points at halftime and had to withstand a big Cannon run in the final two quarters.
And when they needed it most, Davidson Day looked to Charlotte 49ers recruit Jackson Threadgill, who hit a big 3-point shot late in the fourth quarter and an equally big 15-foot pull jump shot even later.
Threadgill finished with a game-high 21 points.
“The guys look for me, so I think that’s the big thing,” Threadgill said, “that I’ve got the trust (of) my teammates and that’s why, when the game is on the line, the ball is in my hands.”
Jaden Bradley (21 points) and DJ Nix (19) led Cannon, which had its chances late to get in position to steal the win. But, time after time, Davidson Day got key defensive stands.
Johnson, however, wants more from his team.
“We’ve got to be a little tougher, I think, offensively,” he said. “I think we allowed them to kind of push us a little bit and we didn’t work hard enough to get open, things like that. It’s stuff for us to learn from and we will.”
Both Threadgill and Johnson believe the Patriots are ready to make a state championship run. And, despite not finishing quite the way they wanted Saturday, they believe this type of game -- big crowd, great opposition -- will only help them on their way.
“We’ve still got time to get better, so we’re doing that,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve got a good opportunity. There’s some good teams out there....We’re kind of peaking but they still believe and I know we’ve still got things to get better at.”
By Langston Wertz Jr.
MATTHEWS
In Ron Johnson’s first season back as head coach at Davidson Day, the Patriots finished 20-5 and put the recent past behind them.
Johnson coached at the Mecklenburg County school from 2009-12 and the Patriots went 66-15. But after Johnson left, Davidson Day endured two losing seasons and just one with more than 16 wins.
Now, with Johnson back for Year 2 of his return, Davidson Day looks like it’s ready to hunt a championship. The Patriots, a 2A private school, showed serious mettle in a 57-53 win over 4A state title contender Cannon School at the Carmel Christian MLK Showcase powered by Phenom Hoops
“It’s major,” Johnson said. “They’ve got a great team and this is a deep playoff, championship-type game. It’s major for our guys in terms of getting experience in playing games like this.”
Davidson Day (18-1), No. 2 in the Sweet 16, led No. 4 Cannon (18-6) by 11 points at halftime and had to withstand a big Cannon run in the final two quarters.
And when they needed it most, Davidson Day looked to Charlotte 49ers recruit Jackson Threadgill, who hit a big 3-point shot late in the fourth quarter and an equally big 15-foot pull jump shot even later.
Threadgill finished with a game-high 21 points.
“The guys look for me, so I think that’s the big thing,” Threadgill said, “that I’ve got the trust (of) my teammates and that’s why, when the game is on the line, the ball is in my hands.”
Jaden Bradley (21 points) and DJ Nix (19) led Cannon, which had its chances late to get in position to steal the win. But, time after time, Davidson Day got key defensive stands.
Johnson, however, wants more from his team.
“We’ve got to be a little tougher, I think, offensively,” he said. “I think we allowed them to kind of push us a little bit and we didn’t work hard enough to get open, things like that. It’s stuff for us to learn from and we will.”
Both Threadgill and Johnson believe the Patriots are ready to make a state championship run. And, despite not finishing quite the way they wanted Saturday, they believe this type of game -- big crowd, great opposition -- will only help them on their way.
“We’ve still got time to get better, so we’re doing that,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve got a good opportunity. There’s some good teams out there....We’re kind of peaking but they still believe and I know we’ve still got things to get better at.”
