WHITEWASHED: Dan River senior scores 1,000th career point

CHATHAM — For months now, Dan River coach Jacob Gruse has told Darren White that he needed to step up and take control of games on the offensive end. For the first 14 games, the senior guard had showed glimpses of what he could do if he had to produce for four quarters.

Tuesday night’s game at Chatham proved to be a good time for the 6-foot-4 swingman to take complete control.

White scored a career-high 43 points and Dan River remained perfect in the Dogwood District with an 84-72 victory over its Pittsylvania County rival.

“The coaches wanted me to attack the basket,” said White, who added 11 rebounds and three steals. White eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career on a 3-point basket with 4:58 left in the third quarter. “They wanted to make me show to everyone that I am a D-1 player and I just went to work and came in with the mindset that nobody could stop me and I went to work.”

White’s scoring did not come all on dunks and fast breaks, although the James Madison commit did not disappoint with an array of jams that brought the Dan River contingent to its feet. White nailed five 3-pointers on the night and was able to produce off the dribble, taking almost any defender to the rim when he wanted.

“Unbelievable performance tonight by Darren White,” Dan River coach Jacob Gruse said. “A lot of his shots weren’t forced tonight, it was just in the course of the game. He did a lot of attacking the basket and things like that. That’s what I’ve been waiting on, I’ve been waiting on that for 15 games. When he gets that mindset, he’s that good.”

The night overshadowed what the Cavaliers’ Patrick Murphy was able to do against an improved Wildcats’ defense. The senior guard poured in 27 points, including 18 in the first half when he was matching White shot-for-shot.

“We let them get some easy buckets and the momentum changed,” Murphy said. “Our defense was not up to par where it should have been and some of the buckets he got were easy.”

After intermission, though, things began to go in Dan River’s favor. After Chatham was able to take a 49-45 lead after a Murphy 3-pointer, the Wildcats closed the quarter on a 20-7 run, with White scoring the last six in the final 80 seconds.

That momentum carried over into the fourth quarter as Dan River (13-2, 6-0 Dogwood) was able to hold Chatham (8-6, 3-2 Dogwood) at bay, allowing the Cavaliers to get as close as three before pulling away for good.

“We got some looks that didn’t go our way,” Chatham coach Barry Mayo said. “We’ll be ready the next go round.”

The first half was a slugfest that seemed to be leaning Chatham’s way. After a tied first quarter, the Cavaliers came out of the gates quickly on two Murphy 3-pointers. That set the tone for the first four minutes of the quarter as the Cavaliers were able to extend the lead to eight at 30-22 following a Pierre Ferrell 3-pointer. White scored the next 10 points, including the last four on dunks to give Dan River the lead at 32-30.

Charles Warren scored 14 points for Dan River. R.J. Myers added 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Terrence Womack scored seven, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists.

“It’s a true clash of two really good teams. I feel our guys earned that victory tonight,” Gruse said. “Defensively, we picked it up and we quit giving up easy baskets.”

Murphy was joined in double figures by three other Cavaliers. Chris Harben scored 15, while Marcus Fuller added 14 and Ferrell scored 12. Solomon Witcher hauled in 11 rebounds.