It felt like the third round of the playoffs in Columbus on Friday night when the Landrum boys’ basketball team stepped on the court against Polk County.
For Landrum it was the first game of the season. For Polk, the Wolverines had already been battle tested.
For both, the energy was ripe. The game seeped with the emotion that flows from an intense rivalry.
Landrum, led by Daniel Bridges, jumped out to an early lead.
Bridges, a newcomer to the Cardinals basketball team, stepped right into the fire and emerged an offensive threat, en route to a 51-41 victory.
“It was exciting,” Bridges said. “Once I got into a rhythm, I felt a lot better about the game.”
Bridges led all scorers with 15 points. Cole McDowell added 9 points, while Mark Wilson scored 8 and Alex Bryant added 7.
For Polk, it was a gutsy performance. The Wolverines limped into the season with two key players hurt during football season – Jay Sutton and Deion Twitty.
Twitty, despite a leg injury, is braced up and is inspiring his team. The senior scored five points on Friday, but despite that, the Cardinals pulled away.
“We always know it’s going to be close up here,” Cardinal coach Lyn Smith said.
Sam Vining’s led the Wolverines with 12 points. Anthony Carson and Joel Booker each added 10.
“The effort was unreal,” Polk coach Josh McEntire said. “I was proud of how hard they fought. We are getting after people.”