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The second-ranked Fastbreak raced past the top-ranked AT Bulldogs in the final to finish the season with a flashy 18-4 record. They went 4-0 in the seven-team state tournament, matching the feat of 2006.
The Fastbreak was coached by Tracey Arnold and Germain Mayfield. The all-Davie County team included Kentrell Ray, Jesse Gunning, Mitchell Miller, John Parker, Caleb McGee and Jacob Walker.
“I’ve been playing basketball all my life, and I never came close to winning a state championship on any level,” Mayfield said. “For them to do it two years in a row, that’s saying something. I mean this group is special.”
Mayfield, who has assisted South Davie’s boys for several years, has often lauded Redmon, a rising eighth grader from South. To Mayfield’s delight, the 5-11 Redmon backed up that praise - and then some - in the state tournament. He scored 14, 27 and 16 points. As good as he was in the first three games, he was even better in the championship, putting in a jaw-dropping 42 points to lead an 85-66 win over the AT Bulldogs out of Trinity.
There are three divisions - one, two and three - in each age level. Davie has won the state twice in D-3. It might play D-2 next year.
“All of them rave about (Redmon),” Arnold said. “Every tournament we go to they are always talking about him.”
“He put us on his back (in the final),” Mayfield added. “We watched a lot of D-2 teams throughout the weekend, and I didn’t see any team that was that much better than us. Denzel was the best player in the 13-under tournament, and he played like it.”
There’s also something special about Dillard, a human trampoline who already stands 6-3 as a seventh grader. No one could match him inside, scoring 11, 17, 15 and 14 points. He made a louder statement in the previous tournament.
“He tried to dunk one in the tournament before this one,” Arnold said. “He was down there by himself and he lost the ball at the rim. He couldn’t palm it, but he was close. He was up there and he grabbed the rim. He has dunked a girls ball in practice, though ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 99, Mocksville, N.C. 27028.