Byrnes dominates Dorman for first rivalry win in over eight years
Despite many close calls and heartbreaks, Byrnes hadn’t beaten Dorman in eight seasons. They hadn’t taken the Cavaliers down at Dorman Arena in more than 20. That all changed last week, when the Rebels stormed into Roebuck and picked apart the Cavaliers, 73-49.
For the first time in his career, Byrnes head coach Layne Fowler walked out of Dorman Arena a winner.
It had been eight years since the Runnin’ Rebels knocked off the rival Cavaliers. Throughout Fowler’s 14-year tenure at Byrnes, they’d never beaten Dorman on the road.
Last week, all of that changed.
The Runnin’ Rebels (17-4, 3-0 region) dominated from the opening tip, not just defeating but entirely outclassing the Cavaliers (15-6, 1-2 region) in a 73-49 win. The home Dorman crowd was left stunned and silent. The impressively large Byrnes away section didn’t stop cheering once.
“I tell you, I feel so, so much joy,” said Fowler. “I feel joy for our kids. I knew it was coming at some point because there have been tons of disappointments and close games down here at Dorman. I just didn’t know it would be tonight.”
Byrnes raced out to a 25-11 first-quarter lead to quickly signal what direction the game was headed. They led by 13 at the half and 23 at the end of the third quarter en route to a dominant win.
“I think what excited me the most was just how well we defended against [Dorman],” said Fowler. “We were connected and made it tough on them. That led to really good, high-percentage shooting on offense. But if you can hold a Dorman team to 49 points, especially at their place, that’s special.”
On defense, the Rebels were stout. Offensively, they were efficient. It was another balanced scoring effort for a team that’s made depth contributions a calling card.
Will Fowler had 18 points to lead the way along with Evan Enos, who dominated in the paint and put up 18 of his own. Colt Fowler had 14. Kayzzin McDowell scored 12.
For a team that’s had seemingly yearly heartbreak against Dorman, Tuesday’s win was a weight off the shoulders of several senior Rebels — namely stars Will Fowler and Kayzzin McDowell.
“Will and Kayzzin, those are guys who have had some tough losses on that court and against that team,” said Fowler. “Those two set the tone for us tonight. When you have seniors that can do that and help dictate how the game’s going to be, that’s important.”
Region 2-5A is starting to shape up a little differently this year, and with Dorman now holding two losses in region play, Byrnes and Gaffney have emerged as front runners.
Both 3-0 in region play, the Rebels and Indians will face off on Jan. 23 for a chance to move into sole possession of first place.
“We’re good right now,” said Fowler. “I’d even go as far as to say we’re really good. But we’re not great. We’ve got to continually keep getting better if we want to reach our ultimate goal. We’re not quite there yet.”
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Byrnes 25 10 24 14 - 73
Dorman 11 11 14 13 - 49
BYRNES STAT LEADERS
Will Fowler - 18 points
Evan Enos - 18 points
Colt Fowler - 14 points
Kayzzin McDowell - 12 points
Conner Page - 5 points