‘Better and better.’ Southern Durham peaks at the right time, gets playoff win over Williams
Southern Durham took a mere three seconds to set the tone in its playoff opener Tuesday.
As soon as the Spartans won the jump ball at half court, guard Ricky Council IV took off down the left wing, locked eyes with teammate T.J. Richardson on a set play and elevated for a two-handed alley oop.
A Walter M. Williams defender jumped alongside him and made enough contact for Council to bring the ball to the ground rather than trying to finish the contested lob. But once he was settled?
“I just got the ball and put it on his head,” a smiling Council said of his posterizing dunk.
It was that kind of night for Southern Durham (20-5). The Spartans racked up four more dunks in the first quarter and seven in total as they cruised to a comfortable 81-64 win over Williams in the first round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs.
The No. 10 seed Spartans will now travel to No. 7 J.H. Rose of Greenville for a second-round game Thursday. Before that road trip, though, they can rest easy after a comfortable victory against No. 23 Williams, which reached last year’s 3A state championship game.
Extended time off doesn’t hurt the Spartans
Thanks to last week’s wintry weather, Southern Durham hadn’t played a game since Feb. 18. Head coach Greg Motley said the layover had him a bit concerned, since his team has struggled to bring energy early at times this season. But the first eight minutes quickly dispelled any such fears.
After Council’s opening dunk, Southern Durham immediately racked up two more: guard Ahmad Hamilton off a fastbreak lob from Council, and Council for a second time, off a slick pass from forward Jashaun Hawkins. Williams burned two timeouts and, by first quarter’s end, trailed 19-6.
“You’re always nervous when you haven’t played and other teams are playing,” Motley said. “That was a concern coming in, just to see how we were going to come out ... I thought they came out tough, gave us a good start.”
Southern Durham promptly stretched its lead into the 20-point range leading up to halftime. The Spartans used superior athleticism to full court press Williams and run an effective fast-break game; when their opponent opted for zone, they also patiently worked the ball around to the open man.
Council, a 6-6 senior, scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in that second quarter. They came on a variety of highlight plays: an and-one dunk, a smooth stepback 3-pointer, a baseline drive in the final seconds to give Southern Durham a 47-27 lead at half.
It’s nothing new for Council, who’s been making plays like that all season — a quick Twitter search of his name reveals even better dunk videos, including a few between-the-legs slams. The three-star recruit, who remains unsigned, said this playoff run is a great chance at a final impression on college scouts.
“The farther we play in states, the more coaches get to see me,” Council said. “That’s definitely the plan.”
Outside of a timeout Motley called to emphasize better rebounding, Southern Durham breezed through the second half of the game. The Spartans led 67-42 after three quarters and cleared their bench with five minutes remaining in the fourth.
Southern Durham got usual contributions from its other starters, too. Hamilton had 13 points, Richardson ran the offense well as the main point guard and forwards Hawkins and Jaybron Harvey provided strength, hustle plays and a few powerful blocks.
Southern Durham peaks at right time
Before heading home to scrape together whatever film he could find on J.H. Rose, a totally unknown opponent, Motley took a few minutes postgame to reflect on how his team has grown this season.
It was just months ago, in October 2019, that Motley even joined the program. The longtime coach at Orange High in Hillsborough replaced David Noel, a former Southern Durham and UNC basketball player who took a job with the Washington Wizards’ G-League team.
Now, he said the team is peaking at the right time. Southern Durham won its last six games a competitive Big Eight 3A conference. And after Tuesday’s blowout victory to open its 2020 postseason campaign, Motley has high hopes for a Spartan roster he calls “really talented.”
“Them embracing me, that’s been the biggest thing,” he said. “As the season’s gone on, they’ve gotten better and better.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 12:13 AM with the headline "‘Better and better.’ Southern Durham peaks at the right time, gets playoff win over Williams."
