The seven 3-pointers were impressive. The array of layups and short jumpers equally so. And the one-man wrecking crew that was Arnie Twitty in the second half? Incredible.
But the true story Friday of Polk County Middle School’s 51-33 rout of Macon Middle School, a Blue Ridge Middle School Conference tournament semifinal game much less close than the final score indicated, could be found in the Wolverines’ team defense, an aggressive, athletic, attacking approach that smothered Macon from the outset and quickly squelched any hope the Panthers had of reaching Monday’s championship game.
Instead, Polk County Middle will play for its second Blue Ridge conference title in three years, the undefeated Wolverines (14-0) heading to Waynesville to face the Mountaineers (13-1) in a battle of division champions. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m, according to school officials.
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It took just nineteen seconds Friday for the Wolverines to take a lead they would never lose, Holden Owens draining a 3-pointer from the wing. Macon wouldn’t surpass those three points until 5:23 remained in the second quarter, a span of more than six minutes. By then, Polk County held an 18-5 lead, a margin that would reach 22-5 before the Panthers scored their second field goal of the first half with 2:48 left in it.
The Panthers had a brief flurry to pull within 13 at 22-9, but a Twitty 3-pointer helped Polk carry a 25-11 lead into the dressing room at halftime.
“Our team defense across the board was unbelievable,” said Polk Middle head coach Billy Alm. “Dillion Overholt shut down their main scorer. He held him to five, maybe seven points when he had been averaging around 18. That’s big time.
“Holden Owens’ defense was fantastic and his offense, too. He dropped a couple of big shots at the beginning. I think the best game of the year from any person in the game came from Kendal Wilkins. On the boards, with his positioning, he did really well.”
And then there was Twitty. The 3-pointer late in the first half set the stage for a barrage in the third, three straight threes, each from a different point on the court, to push Polk’s lead to 35-14 midway through the quarter. An Overholt basket, followed by a Twitty free throw and layup, helped give the Wolverines a 40-16 bulge by quarter’s end.
Twitty scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter and had five of the Wolverines’ seven 3-pointers. When not firing from the outside, he drove the lane for baskets and generally made life miserable for Macon.
“Arnie Twitty was lights out tonight,” Alm said. “He was on his game.”
Polk County’s lead swelled to as large as 28 points in the fourth before Macon scored the final 10 points of the game.
Early on, it was Owens and DJ Twitty doing the offensive damage. Up 5-3, the Wolverines closed the first quarter with an 11-0 run keyed by a Twitty 3-point play and an Owens’ 3-pointer. Arnie Twitty then added a 3-pointer for a 16-3 lead at quarter’s end.
DJ Twitty finished with 11 points and Owens eight in their final home game.
Polk County Scoring
Arnie Twitty 26, DJ Twitty 11, Holden Owens 8, Dillion Overholt 4, Kendal Wilkins 2
