When you have the talent, experience and team chemistry that Johnson believes his Patriots possess, it's not a surprise when they defeat any of their contemporaries in the area.
"It's a rivalry," Johnson said, "but us beating them is not an upset."
The Patriots' toughness down the stretch was the difference on Tuesday, when a pair of veteran players — seniors Rashun Davis and Phillip Anglade — spearheaded an 18-2 flurry to end the game.
With 5:32 left, United Faith led 51-45. The Hawks didn't score again until V.J. King made a 15-footer with 50 seconds remaining. Davis had eight of his team-high 19 points, and Anglade had 10 of his 13 in the final quarter, both of them making key plays in head-to-head matchups against University of Florida-bound point guard Braxton Ogbueze and 7-footer Peter Jurkin, who will play at Indiana next year.
But make no mistake about it: The Patriots (7-1) excelled because of the intangibles that not only Anglade and Davis provided, but that emerged from players who don't always get so much recognition.
Jason Eddie provided quality minutes off the bench, teaming with Anglade in providing a pesky 1-2 punch of 6-foot-4 athleticism and grit that helped keep Jurkin in check, limiting him to four points on the night. Caleb Mercer took just one shot in the game, but drew two charges, including a key one with seven minutes left that was Jurkin's fourth personal foul.
Richard Brown and D.J. Carnegie helped take some of the pressure off Davis, with quality defensive efforts, and, in the case of Carnegie, providing an offensive spark when the team needed it desperately.
United Faith jumped out to an 11-1 lead to start the game. Davidson Day whittled the deficit to five by the end of the first quarter. Carnegie then scored nine of his 12 points in the second quarter as the Patriots erupted for 26 points and took a 32-28 lead into intermission.
Defensive pressure and conditioning seemed to pay off, with the Patriots outscoring the Hawks 26-15 in the second quarter and 22-9 in the fourth quarter. Johnson was pleased with the effort and said his players were smart enough to take advantage of opportunities when they were presented, but also were aware of the abilities of Ogbueze in the open court and made sure not to turn the game into a track meet.
"You don't want to up tempo too much against them," Johnson said. "You've got to be careful of Braxton (Ogbueze)."
Ogbueze has the ability to score in bunches, and in a hurry. The Patriots held him to two points in the fourth quarter.
"We had stretches where we played really well," Johnson said.
Johnson passes 300-win mark
Tuesday's win was the 301st of Johnson's career. He picked up win No. 300 Saturday when the Patriots defeated Thomasville Prep 67-35 in the Mercedes Benz Showcase at Forsyth Country Day.
Johnson, in his third year at Davidson Day, is now 301-128 in 15 seasons, which also include stints at Cannon School, The Benjamin School and Melbourne Central Catholic, the latter two of Florida.
"This win is definitely a coaching milestone for Coach Johnson," said DDS Director of Athletics Matt Neville. "I am pleased that our Davidson Day school community was able to share in this special moment. I look forward to watching Coach Johnson chase down his 400th win over the next several seasons."
