Dover senior Jordan Allen, a Rider University signee, scored 22 points to help the Senators down Smyrna on Thursday night.
SMYRNA – Dover boys basketball coach Stephen Wilson had a stern – but simple – message for his six seniors at halftime Thursday night.
This is your last time playing in Smyrna. Make it count.
The Senators responded with a performance to remember, ripping off 19 straight points in one stretch and pulling away for a 79-64 victory that put Dover in firm control of the Henlopen North race.
“This is the last time we play here,” said senior Jordan Allen, who led the Senators with 22 points. “Every time after Christmas break, we come here. I’ve never won here. This is my first time winning at their place.”
Seventh-ranked Dover (8-3, 6-0) won it with defense, holding fifth-ranked Smyrna (6-2, 3-2) without a point for a 5:20 stretch spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth.
“I challenged them on the defensive end,” Wilson said. “I challenged us to rebound the basketball. I challenged us to possess the basketball. I thought that we did that. … They did what I asked them to do.”
The Eagles came out hot, taking a 10-4 lead on Charlie Taylor’s fast-break jumper and two free throws by Jerry Williams. Smyrna led 19-15 after one quarter, and the Eagles were up 26-21 when Allen – a Rider University signee – went to the bench with his third foul with 3:24 left in the first half.
But senior guard Troy Scott came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers to send Dover into the locker room with a 29-27 lead.
“That was big,” Allen said of Scott’s shots. “He’s a big-time player. Everybody is a big-time player on our team. Everybody is basically the same.”
Taylor’s free throw pulled Smyrna within 35-33 with 4:26 left in the third quarter. But that was the last time the Eagles would score until the final period.
Terrence Woodlin, a 6-foot-7 senior who had only two points in the first half, got it going for the Senators. Thomas Haskins and Woodlin drove for layups, Allen banged in a 15-footer and Woodlin put back Allen’s missed 3-pointer.
Then Allen swished a wide-open 3 from the left wing, and Tre’Vonne Moore turned a steal into a layup. Woodlin capped the quarter with another steal and went coast-to-coast for a thunderous dunk. Then he banked in a free throw to complete the three-point play as Dover pushed its lead to 51-33.
“The third quarter, we came out hot,” Allen said. “We knew we were only up by two at the half, and we had to come out and make a big statement.”
Allen opened the fourth quarter with another 3-ball to push the Senators’ streak to 19 straight points. Smyrna cranked up the tempo and scored 31 points in the last seven minutes, but it was too late.
Woodlin poured in 17 points in the second half, including a couple of slams that sent the Dover student section into a frenzy.
“I had to relax,” Woodlin said. “I got too excited in the first half, trying to do a little bit too much. I had to pull myself together and just work with my team.”
Caleb Matthews led Smyrna with 19 points, and Ja’vier Worthy added 14.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ