Sanford’s Mike Dixon goes for a basket past Dover’s Troy Scott as Dover played Sanford in the Slam Dunk to the Beach held at Cape Henlopen High School.
LEWES – Sanford had a 20-day layoff coming into Sunday night’s game at the Slam Dunk to the Beach boys basketball showcase.
Mikey Dixon didn’t look rusty. At all.
The 6-foot-2 senior pumped in a career-high 39 points as the third-ranked Warriors dismantled No. 4 Dover 77-59 in an early-season showdown at Cape Henlopen High.
“He was really aggressive, and we needed him to be aggressive,” Sanford coach Stan Waterman said of Dixon. “He came out looking to score the ball. His teammates did a good job of setting screens and helping him to get open, and he really did let the game come to him.”
The Warriors’ most recent game was Dec. 8, but they were ready from the opening tip. Dixon splashed two 3-pointers from the top of the key and made a layup off a turnover, and Jacob Walsh (20 points, eight rebounds) made a free throw as Sanford jumped to a 9-0 lead with 5:30 left in the first quarter.
“I wasn’t sure what we would get,” Waterman said. “I thought we might have to shake some rust off.”
Sanford (2-1) led 17-9 after one quarter, and stretched it to 30-19 at the half as Kyle Evans (eight points, seven rebounds) beat the buzzer with a 15-footer.
Dixon’s assault continued in the third quarter, as he drove for a layup and banked in a scoop shot to make it 40-26. The Quinnipiac signee finished 11-of-17 from the floor – including 2-of-5 3-pointers – and hit 15-of-18 free throws.
“They were setting good screens, making sure I was getting open,” Dixon said of his teammates. “It was a team effort, everybody buying into their role.
“It was easy. I let the game come to me. Sometimes last year, I would get rattled. I’m just letting it come to me, just playing the game.”
The Warriors also frustrated Dover sharpshooter Jordan Allen, holding the Rider signee to four points through three quarters. The 6-4 senior did heat up with three late 3-pointers to finish with 13 points, but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.
“We just wanted to crowd him and kind of stay connected to him and not give him space,” Waterman said of Allen. “He’s a great shooter, one of the best shooters I’ve seen in high school basketball anywhere. We wanted to stay close to him.”
The Senators (3-3) also got 14 points from Michael Douglas and 12 from Steven Justice. But the Warriors proved they will again be a force to be reckoned with in Delaware boys basketball this season.
“It was a really big game,” Dixon said. “We knew we had to make a statement, two of the top teams in the state playing here.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.