[FTCC photo by Brad Losh]
FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville Tech men’s basketball upset the top-ranked team in NJCAA Division II on Wednesday, toppling Davidson-Davie CC 97-80.
This is the second straight win against a nationally ranked team and the fourth victory in a row for the Trojans (5-1), who knocked off No. 18 Catawba Valley CC on Saturday.
The streak has propelled the Trojans to the top of the Region 10 Division II standings.
Sophomore George Jones Jr. lead the Trojans with 20 points against the Storm. JeKael Gay added 15.
FTCC coach Brian Hurd credits the Trojans’ pregame efforts as the key to the team’s performance.
“Our preparation is key,” Hurd said. “Our young guys have come in and learned how we break film down. Guys come out of high school, and they just look at highlights. We sit down and look at offensive schemes and defensive rotations. And then everything we do in practice is geared toward what we want to do in the game.”
When preparing to host Davidson-Davie, that meant planning to slow the Storm’s high-octane offense.
“They average 91 points a game, and one of the biggest keys was slowing them down in transition,” Hurd said. “We had to hit our shots and execute our offense, but we also had to be efficient on the defensive end, and we had to rebound.”
Hurd said the slower pace disrupted the Storm’s offense, giving way to 20-point lead for the Trojans with just over five minutes left in the first half.
“I think slowing the game down made them a little uncomfortable on offense,” Hurd said. “Some of that was our defense, and some of it was them missing shots.”
Where the Storm was cold, the Trojans were hot. FTCC struck from deep for eight 3-point goals in the first half, lifting the Trojans to a 52-32 halftime lead.
The Trojans never looked back, holding a double-digit advantage throughout the second half.