Broncos claim sixth straight win

Dec. 16—DALEVILLE — Some refer to what Daleville point guard Noah Colvin does as hustle or effort plays. His coach says he is "sneaky."

But for Colvin, he is just doing his job.

The 5-foot-4 junior connected for three 3-point baskets in the first quarter and put his team on top to stay with a putback score off one of his eight rebounds to lead the Broncos to their sixth consecutive victory, 60-51 over Mid-Eastern Conference and Delaware County rival Wes-Del on Saturday night.

The Broncos improved to 6-2 overall and are now 4-1 in the MEC while the Warriors dropped to 3-5 with their third straight loss and 1-4 in the conference.

The Broncos had three players in double figures as Koleman Newsome led the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Colvin had 17 points to go with the eight boards and Meryck Adams scored 13 points — all in the second half.

Logan Leech added seven points, six rebounds and three blocks for Daleville.

After trailing by three at intermission, the Warriors scorched the nets and took the lead for much of the third quarter. In that period, Wes-Del was 8-of-13 from the floor offensively and forced five Broncos turnovers defensively. The Warriors took their biggest lead of the game — four points — on three occasions, the last coming on a Jack Rooker rebound basket to open the fourth quarter for a 41-37 lead.

Then Adams — who finally got on the board with five points in the third quarter — drilled a 26-foot 3-point shot to pull the Broncos within one, and Newsome followed with a score in the lane off a feed from Colvin to retake the lead.

An exchange of baskets — including another Adams trey — and a pair of Gabe Becerra free throws for the Warriors left the game tied at 45-45.

Adams then misfired on his next 3-point attempt, but Colvin was there to grab the rebound and put home the go-ahead basket. That score began a 10-point Broncos run, capped by a pair of Colvin free throws, that put Daleville in command at 55-45 with just over a minute left.

"It felt good, but I was just ready to get back on defense because we needed stops," Colvin said. "I scored it and was ready to play defense."

"He is the biggest guy that we have," Daleville coach Ashley Fouch said. "He's sneaky, he's relentless and he gets it done. He's reliable, to be honest."

In the fourth quarter, Daleville committed just one turnover and sealed the game by making 11 of 14 free throw attempts.

"I love playing Wes-Del, honestly, because they always bring a competitive game, and they're physical," Fouch said. "That's just what they do to us, and we need that. I'm appreciative of games like this when it isn't going our way all the time. But then to finish strong in the fourth quarter is exactly what I wanted from my boys."

The hot shooting of Colvin lifted the Broncos to a 26-23 halftime lead. He made 3-of-5 3-point attempts and added a runner in the lane late in the half. Wes-Del took the lead briefly at 18-15 and again at 20-19, but baskets by Newsome and Colvin put the Broncos back on top.

Leading by three at the break while Adams was held scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting from the field did not phase Daleville. Picking each other up is what this group strives to do each and every game.

"The past six games, we're starting to figure out that if Meryck gets a little off, we have people who can pick him up," Fouch said. "They've started to understand if Meryck isn't hitting, let's feed the post. If he is hitting, we're good."

This is the longest winning streak for the Daleville program since the 2007-08 sectional champion team won seven in a row. The Broncos will take the rest of the year off before tangling with another MEC and Delaware County rival, Cowan, in a Jan. 5 home game.

Under normal circumstances, a two-week break would be the last thing a team would want to see while riding a winning streak like Daleville's. But in this case, it could literally be just what the doctor ordered.

"I think it'll help a lot and get us back to full strength," Colvin said. "We can all get on the same page and know what we're doing."

Wes-Del was led by Josiah Love with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Rooker added 11 points.

Wes-Del edged Daleville 36-35 in the junior varsity contest. Mekhi Snyder and Carson Tighe shared scoring honors for the Broncos with 10 points each.

Contact Rob Hunt at rob.hunt@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4886.