Silverdale Surprise! Webb, Notre Dame, Boyd-Buchanan Pummel

Andrew Force February 16, 2021 @ 09:17 PM

Jose Rodriguez, a bull of a young man, high-pointed a wonderful Notre Dame guard Bryson Smith Bryson Smith 6'1" | CG Notre Dame | 2021 State TN late first quarter. Notre Dame did pull away soon after, but for an entire quarter Concord proved they had the athleticism and perhaps defense to play at the Notre Dame level.

Boyd-Buchanan advances.

"We won by 30," said Boyd-Buchanan Head Coach Josh Templeton. "We are in a really good place defensively. I am happy with where our guys’ heads are at."

Boyd is an intriguing team, with pieces that very few private schools have.

"We are so young," said Boyd-Buchanan Head Coach Josh Templeton. We have been growing by the game. This year, it is almost like, everybody but two guys got Co-Vid over Christmas. We had like a month with no gym time. They all play football, so even games are practice for us."

The progression of Boyd-Buchanan is notable and well-timed. The challenges only get harder from here.

"I am feeling really good about where we are at," said Coach Templeton. "Ace (Bailey) is healthy. He had 16 points and 7 rebounds tonight. We are spreading it around and getting balance."

CAK punches first. Silverdale punches last.

What was the plan to deal with or mitigate the destruction likely to be caused by exceptional sophomore guard Dante Oliver Dante Oliver 6'3" | CG Asheville Christian Academy | 2023 State NC ?

"So, we decided that we were going to full-face," said Silverdale Academy Head Coach Slater Belew. "Try to face-guard him the entire time. He did hit the go-ahead bucket with 10 seconds left, so we sort of lost concentration there. Fatigue could have been a factor. Our guys didn’t panic. We get the ball to Connor. He made a calm pass to to Owen."

And then the buzzer was beaten.

"Before the game we talked about fighting for the two guys that were out," Silverdale Academy Head Coach Slater Belew. Our seniors came up big along with our juniors. They took full ownership of focusing the entire time. I was proud of that."

Nothing bigger in program history...

"This is a huge win," said Silverdale Academy Head Coach Slater Belew. "This is the first time that our boy’s program has ever made it to state. To say that they were excited is an understatement."

Big Nights

’21 Owen Neal (Silverdale Academy): Nobody had a more thrilling night than Owen Neal. He literally won a basketball game in the final seconds to send his program to their first state tournament.

’23 Ace Bailey Ace Bailey 6'9" | SF McEachern | 2024 State #2 Nation GA (Boyd-Buchanan): Big scoring night for a bright prospect and a fantastic athlete. Ace delivered 16 points and the blowout win.

’24 Brett Wright (Silverdale Academy):

"I think Brett Wright had 12," shared Silverdale Academy Head Coach Slater Belew. "He is a key freshman for us." Brett is a springy forward now with a bright future at 6-foot-5 already. Lean but tough. Ben Bambrey had 10 points, who is our post. Bryson Cline had 6 points for us.

’22 Connor Delashmitt (Silverdale Academy):

"Connor, who isn’t really a scorer for us, did a heck of our job on CAK #20."

Partial Rosters (Starters*)

CAK
#2 Denzel Jackson* (2022)
#3 Griffin Parker* (2021)
#10 Matt Murray* (2022)
#20 Dante Oliver Dante Oliver 6'3" | CG Asheville Christian Academy | 2023 State NC * (2023)
#23 Luke Carter* (2023)
#11 Evan Coffman (2023)