Rawls-Dixon could be memorable duel in DIAA boys final

St. Georges’ Kyson Rawls (second from left) puts up a shot between two Delcastle defenders during Thursday’s DIAA boys semifinal win at the Bob Carpenter Center.

NEWARK – Just minutes after Sanford had defeated Mount Pleasant in the semifinals of the DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament on Thursday night, Stan Waterman was asked what would be the key in the championship game.

The Warriors’ coach gave a direct, three-word answer.

“Stopping Kyson Rawls.”

St. Georges’ junior point guard will be a marked man when the Hawks meet Sanford for the title at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The 6-foot-1 Rawls averaged 14.5 points through St. Georges’ first 13 games. But since leading scorer Lamar Hamrick left, Rawls has ratcheted up that average to 24.4 points as the Hawks (20-4) have won 10 of their last 11 games.

“I looked at the last month of the season, and he’s been on an incredible roll,” Waterman said. “He’s a strong player, smart player. I think if we can do a defensive job similar to what we did tonight, we’ll be in good shape.”

More defense like the Warriors displayed against Mount Pleasant would be devastating. Sanford held the Green Knights to 27.3 percent shooting from the field in grinding out a 38-30 victory.

But Rawls won’t be easy to stop. As a point guard, it’s difficult to keep the ball out of his hands. And he isn’t afraid to barrel down the lane against taller defenders, as he did repeatedly on the way to 27 points in a 60-57 semifinal win over Delcastle.

“He is a tough guy, one tough customer,” St. Georges coach Rod Griffin said. “He put a lot of time in the weight room, and he relishes the contact. He was getting beat up a lot, but he maintained his cool and kept his focus, and hit some big baskets and free throws when we needed him.”

Of course, the top-seeded Warriors (20-2) have a devastating weapon of their own in senior shooting guard Mikey Dixon, who is shooting 57 percent from the field and averaging 26.5 points per game.

Mount Pleasant threw everything but the kitchen sink at Dixon in the semifinals, guarding him man-to-man with five different players. But the Quinnipiac signee still hit 9 of 14 from the floor and scored 21 points.

Many observers rated Sanford-Mount Pleasant as the true championship game, and expect a convincing Sanford win in the final. But if Waterman senses any overconfidence, he can pop in the tape of the 2014 quarterfinals, when Hamrick strafed the Warriors for 39 points as St. Georges eliminated Sanford 69-66 on its way to a loss to Salesianum in the championship game.

Sanford’s current seniors were sophomores then, so they remember. So does their coach.

“I remember them. I’ll never forget them,” Waterman said. “I’m glad that one guy is gone, who got 39 on us. Coach Griffin does a nice job with that team. They had some adversity early on, and they responded well. They’re playing well.”

St. Georges has shown tremendous grit in overcoming Hamrick’s departure to get back to the final as the tournament’s No. 6 seed. In addition to Rawls, seniors Paul Brown, Mark Harris, Josh Williams and Vincent Kent, junior Tristan Guild and freshmen Nah’Shon Hyland and Michael McCants are among the Hawks who have stepped up.

“It’s exhilarating,” Griffin said after Thursday’s semifinal win. “We’re going to enjoy this today, get back in the gym tomorrow. It has been a roller-coaster ride, but it’s been a fun ride. I’m very proud of this team. They’ve showed a lot of character throughout the year.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.