Blythewood wins third straight with rout of Dutch Fork
Blythewood coach Zeke Washington said his team might not have done well with the preseason expectations around his squad.
After all, it was unchartered territory for the school, which is a little more than a decade old. The Bengals have had their highs and lows this season with a tough stretch in December, and dropped a tough one against Spring Valley earlier this month.
But since the loss to the Vikings on Jan. 18, the Bengals have the look of one of the top teams in the state, and won their third straight with a 72-55 victory over Dutch Fork on Friday.
“All the expectations and all the hype, that was new for Blythewood,” Washington said. “We are still learning how to handle it. These guys aren’t pros, they are young men, so everything is a learning experience.”
Junior guard Keith Matthews echoed his coach’s sentiments
“The expectations got to our heads,” Matthews said. “So, we had to refocus and get back to what we do, and not worry about the outside stuff.”
And what the Bengals do well when they are clicking is share the ball and get the majority of the 10- or 12-man rotation involved. Washington said that wasn’t the case earlier in the season, and he thought his team played a little selfishly at times.
“The guys are playing for their teammates, their community and the school,” Washington said. “We are starting to develop a little pride, so hopefully it will carry through the rest of the season.
“I saw some good things out there tonight and people playing hard and unselfish. If we can continue to do those things, we always will have a chance.”
The win keeps the Bengals a half-game behind Spring Valley for the Region 4-4A lead. Blythewood has won its last three games by an average of 18 points and will get its second crack at the Vikings at home Tuesday.
Senior Eli Lake led the way with 19 points, with Matthews adding 16 and Trae Churn 14.
Lake, a Navy signee, scored 17 of his 19 in the first half and helped key a Bengals’ run to begin the second quarter. Lake scored 11 straight points, including two 3-pointers, to begin the second quarter as Blythewood led 29-23 at halftime.
“When he is hitting those shots, it is hard for us to lose,” Matthews said of Lake. “When he gets hot, there is no stopping Eli.”
The Bengals (16-4, 5-1) began the third quarter on a 6-0 run and extended the lead to as many as 15 points in the quarter.
Dutch Fork cut the lead down to 10 points in the fourth, but Matthews hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Bengals got the lead back up to 56-38 with less than six minutes left.
Dutch Fork junior guard Jordan Davis, the Midlands co-lead scorer, led all players with 29 points.
The loss drops the Silver Foxes into the fourth and final playoff spot in the region, a half-game behind third-place Ridge View.
DF: Jordan Davis 29, Cannon 13, Thompson 2, Dean 8, Vernau 3. B: Matthews 16, Jackson 5, Riley 4, Bowers 5, Lake 19, Shakir-Harris 6, Warmack 3, Trae Churn 14.
GIRLS
Dutch Fork 48, Blythewood 36
Madison Golden scored 20 points as the Silver Foxes split the season series with the Bengals.
The win moved Dutch Fork into a tie for third with Westwood in the Region 5-4A standings.
DF: Dean 8, Olivia Anderson 12, Eskew 4, Murphy 2, Madison Golden 20, Sanders 2. B: Jackson 2, Greene 5, Rikard 9, Gallman 2, Mims 4, Harley 8, Lott 2, Ray 2.
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Blythewood wins third straight with rout of Dutch Fork."