Mount Tabor defeats Davie 68-63

MOCKSVILLE - Mount Tabor travelled to Mocksville to take on the Davie War Eagles in a much anticipated Central Piedmont 4A Conference match-up involving two of the state's best teams. It was an awesome atmosphere as the gym was jam-packed and many folks were turned away at the door. The game lived up to the hype as Mount Tabor took a 68-63 win.

The Spartans came into the game undefeated and ranked 2nd in the NCPreps.com/HS Media Basketball 4A poll. Davie was ranked 6th with their only loss to top-ranked Olympic.

Mount Tabor jumped out to an early lead behind solid play from Nate Long, Deion Robinson, and Tyquan Bitting. The Spartans (15-0) led 20-12 after the first quarter.

Davie (12-2) behind twins Caleb and Cody Martin kept the War Eagles close as they trailed 34-28 at the half.

The Spartans seemed like they were going to blow the game wide-open when Lepreece Lynch hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Mount Tabor a 54-44 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Caleb Martin and Austin Hatfield rallied Davie to close the gap to 64-63 with less than a minute to go. The Spartans got some big-time foul shooting from Robinson and Matty Madigan to close the game out.

Robinson led Mount Tabor with 16 points. Long finished with 15 points. Lynch scored 13 points. Bitting added 10 points and 5 blocks in limited action due to foul trouble.

"Bitting is a big part of what we do and when he's not in the game, it changes what we do. He is probably the best shot blocker in the state of North Carolina," stated Mount Tabor head coach Andy Muse.

Davie County was led by NC State recruits Caleb Martin with 20 points and Cody Martin, who scored 17 points. Austin Hatfield added 12 points.