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The return from a two-week layoff between games, during a season in which the Cummings High School boys’ basketball team had members quarantined due to coronavirus contact tracing protocols, proved to be no problem Tuesday night.
Back on the court and playing in just their second game this year, the Cavaliers rode the momentum of five double-digit scorers to dispatch visiting Graham 85-56 in a Mid-State 2-A Conference game.
“A win is a win in normal times,” Cummings coach Chas Criss said, “but particularly this year.
“We’ve had two games and I can’t tell you how many practices. I missed probably a week of practice because I had a close contact and had to quarantine, so we just make the best of it.”
Three Cummings guards helped lead the scoring charge. Dylantae James provided 18 points, Tylek Oliver scored 16 points and senior LaBryant “Bud” Boswell finished with 14 points.
Criss credited Boswell’s improved conditioning level for helping make things easier on James, Oliver and the rest of the Cavaliers (2-0 overall, 2-0 Mid-State 2-A).
“I think what helps them this year is Bud is in great condition,” Criss said. “Him being in better condition allows (James and Oliver), especially Dylantae, to take more breaks. He doesn’t have to have the ball so much. The stuff Bud was doing (in this game) he couldn’t do last year."
James drained three 3-pointers while Boswell and Oliver each knocked down a pair of threes.
“Bud hasn’t looked like this since he was a freshman," Criss said. "I tell him that all the time. I’m very proud of him. He worked really hard this summer to kind of get himself to back where he was. Some of the moves he made, his conditioning level is a whole lot better, which is interesting because of the pandemic and we haven’t been able to work out like we normally would.”
Christian Titus poured in 17 points while Dirk Brown made three 3-pointers and finished with 10 points for the Red Devils (2-3, 1-2).
Cummings freshman big man Kaden Hammond pumped in 15 points, proving to be an important addition for a Cavaliers team that has lacked size in the lane in recent seasons. Frontcourt mate Jaylen Haith finished with 10 points for Cummings.
“That changed a lot,” Criss said of Hammond. “He’s a very high IQ kid. Some of the passes he made in the first half. He’s patient and he’ll wait. It helps a whole lot. Jaylen coming back from the ACL (injury), he’s a lot stronger than he was last year. He put on probably 15 pounds. So size is not a problem like it has been in the past.”
Graham closed its deficit to single digits early in the third quarter, when Cummings responded by stringing together an 18-2 run to build a 25-point lead.
“We had to clean up all the mistakes we did in the first half,” Oliver said. “We came out in the second half and just turned up.”
Oliver scored the final eight points of the second quarter, which included two 3-pointers, to give the Cavaliers a 39-28 halftime lead.
“I thought we played well in the first half," Criss said. "I thought we fouled too much and we gave up a couple threes. Just little stuff and that kind of stuff happens when you’re not playing a whole lot.”