Following two heart-pounding victories of 56-53 over Chiawana and 57-55 over Kamiakin, Davis was anxious to deliver a statement victory. They found that this past Saturday night. Davis held a 32-21 lead over Walla Walla at halftime, before sinking Walla Walla to a 60-41 loss.

"It's all about playing better than the day before. If a blow out happens that's fantastic, but really we're just trying to get better each day," said Davis head coach Eli Juarez in the post-game.

Davis launched themselves right out the gate with a 10-2 start, largely due to the play of senior point guard Alexzander Delgado. A big momentum shift came early when Delgado came up with three steals that led to Davis points.

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"I knew that I had help on my backside, and that trust in my teammates allowed me to get in there and poke the ball loose a few times," said Delgado on how he set the tone early.

Three Davis stars were on display Saturday night as Alexzander Delgado (18), Collin Kelley (17), and Ivory-Kimble (12) combined for 47 of Davis' 60 points.

When asked if this was the game-plan, Coach Juarez had this to say, "Right now we're a club searching for our six, seven, eight, nine guys. We pride ourselves on being smart as we figure out the game. When you have players like Zander, Kelley, and Ivory-Kimble, your strength is going to be inside."

An interesting note is Walla Walla only took one free throw attempt all night. Given the physical nature of Davis' playing style, this is practically unheard of.

6-2 power forward Ivory Evan's-Kimble is consistently one of the most powerful inside players on the court. He was able to break down how it's done, "We practice the fundamentals of defense. Knowing how to box out, screen with your hands up, and not using your body."

Davis freshman Jose Reyes plays intense defense
Davis freshman Jose Reyes plays intense defense
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The calm demeanor of Davis in the pre-game, during the game, and post-game was that of a non-conference game. Albeit not necessarily a bad thing. There were fun pre-game introductions, an average crowd, and no yelling coaches. But Davis is aware business is about to pick up.

"These are just non-conference games, but we've got to pick it up when it comes to the actual season," said Evans-Kimble, "especially against team's like Gonzaga Prep we've got to flip the switch. I feel that the way we practice, we'll show it in the game."

Davis moves to 3-0 on the young season, and will open up conference play this Friday December 15th against Sunnyside. Davis and Sunnyside are the only undefeated teams left in the Columbia Basin Big Nine Conference, something has got to give!

 

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