Darius Harrington, Dixon dominate final three quarters against Sycamore

SYCAMORE – For long stretches against Sycamore on Tuesday, it seemed like Darius Harrington and Dixon couldn’t miss in a 64-42 victory over the Spartans.

Harrington finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Dukes (15-4) shot 50% from the floor and 53% on 3-point shots.

“Honestly, anything [was working] really,” the 6-foot-2 senior said. “Screens were working. We were running our plays correctly and we were getting open shots. That’s how it is sometimes.”

The Spartans (13-5) matched the Dukes shot-for-shot in the first quarter. There were three ties and four lead changes in the first quarter, which ended in an 18-18 deadlock.

An Eli Davidson 3-pointer kicked off a 10-0 run for the Dukes to start the second quarter. Sycamore couldn’t score for the first 5:30, and the Dixon lead was in double digits in the second half.

Sycamore scored 18 points in the first eight minutes and needed more than 20 minutes to score their next 18 points.

Dixon coach Chris Harmann switched to a zone in the second quarter, but Sycamore coach Ethan Franklin said he still felt the Spartans were getting good shots.

“I still feel like we left some stuff at the rim,” Franklin said. ”We were getting good looks. We had layups we were missing and overall didn’t execute as well as we needed to."

Harrington had 18 points in the first half. And although he managed only one field goal in the second, the Dukes were in control throughout the final 16 minutes.

“I think it’s partially because of how fantastic Harrington is,” Franklin said. “He creates such a mismatch advantage because he’s able to get you out in the perimeter and he’s also able to post up. When we sent multiple bodies, he’s a great passer and found guys and they hit shots.”

Brody Nicklaus hit all three of his 3-point attempts and finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Davidson was 3 for 7 from long range and also finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Cullen Shaner had nine points and five rebounds.

Harman said he liked how Davidson played on both ends of the floor as well as how Harrington was able to absorb a lot from a physical Sycamore team.

“He was playing through a lot of contact,” Harmann said. “Physical teams, he’s seen it a lot this year. They were loading up around him and he was making good decisions. He’s a really good basketball player and it’s fun watching him go.”

Isaiah Feuerbach and Unique Shaw each scored 17 for the Spartans, with no one else scoring more than three. Sycamore shot 32.7% from the floor and 35% on 3-pointers. Feuerbach had a team-best six rebounds.

The Dukes finished with a 34-24 rebounding edge, something Harmann said made a big difference after the first quarter.

“We were able to get a couple extra deflections and we cleaned up the glass a little bit better,” Harmann said. “Except for a couple times in the second half, I thought we did a good job of getting to the basketball.”

Dixon and Sycamore are in different supersectionals this year, so they won’t match up early in the postseason.

Harrington said the Dukes viewed Tuesday as a statement win.

“Tonight shows what we’re capable of,” Harmann said. “You’re not going to be great every single night. Tonight we were pretty good. Being able to play as a unit is important for us.”