DARLINGTON — Darlington proved why it is No. 4 in Division 4 with a 100-71 win over New Glarus on Tuesday, Jan. 2. The Redbirds, who average 79 ppg, put on its best offensive performance of the season.

“We definitely came ready to play,” Darlington head coach Tom Uppena said. “We came out and shot well. It helps when you make threes — everything else opens up. We kept the pedal down. The boys played hard and took advantage of the pressure that we saw and turned it into offense. I’m happy with that effort.”

Although Darlington came into the contest ranked in Division 4, the team knew not to take New Glarus, a Division 3 team, for granted. Last year’s match up between the Redbirds and Knights went into overtime, where Darlington prevailed 69-63. 

In the last 10 years, Darlington and New Glarus have met 13 times. The Redbirds hold an 11-2 advantage over the Knights, with its greatest margin of victory occurring Tuesday.

“It’s a great nonconference game for us,” Uppena said. “We both get a lot out of it. New Glarus is well coached and has been successful for a number of years. They have a great system with a great program. We know we are getting a good game every year.”

Darlington came out faster than New Glarus, scoring on a pull-up jumper from Broker Buschor 20 seconds into the game. After an empty Knight possession, Brady Long drained a 3-pointer. 

Although Brett Warrell drew a foul on Buschor and made both of his free throws, the Redbirds pressed on. 

Long assisted Reagan Jackson and Will Murray for two points each. Carter Murray’s three just two and a half minutes into the game gave Darlington a 10-point lead. Buschor’s basket beyond the arc was the final straw, forcing New Glarus’s first timeout.

“To be honest, I wasn’t even making my shots in warmups,” Buschor admitted. “They decided to fall during the game.”

Teammate Will Murray even joked, “Broker came up to me after warmups and said, ‘Don’t be surprised if I don’t make a shot today.’”

Buschor wasn’t the only Redbird to have a hot hand. After the Knights’ timeout, Dante Glendenning, Tagg Gille and Jackson sunk back-to-back-to-back threes, forcing New Glarus’s second timeout of the half. At the time, 18 of Darlington’s 26 points came from beyond the arc.

New Glarus freshman Nolan Julseth attempted to steal momentum by taking a charge from Long, but Carter Murray’s steal led to a fastbreak dunk by Will Murray on the other end. With Buschor’s second 3-pointer of the first half, Darlington took a 31-9 lead.

To add insult to injury, Max Marty and Lawrence Vasquez got into foul trouble in the first half, limiting their time on the court. During the New Glarus Holiday Tournament, the pair combined for 38 points.

The Redbirds built up a 30-point lead on a 3-pointer from Jackson. The Knights were able to end the first half on a five-point run, though, with a pair of free throws from Andrew Sarbacker and three from Charlie Sarbacker.

Coming out of the locker room, New Glarus applied a press. The tactic resulted in two turnovers and points for Jake Roth and Marty, cutting Darlington’s lead to 49-29. 

Once the Redbirds adjusted and learned to break the press, it led to easy points. Darlington also sped up the pace of the game, scoring on fastbreaks before New Glarus could even set up its defense. 

Will Murray assisted Jackson for two then followed with his second dunk of the game. Three minutes later, Will Murray slammed it home again. On the next possession, Brady Long alley-ooped to Buschor for a 65-34 advantage.

“Brady has chemistry with everyone,” Buschor said of the fastbreak play. “He knows what everyone is thinking, and he’s the guy that we run our offense through.”

Just as New Glarus gained a bit of momentum — Vasquez made a pair of free throws and scored on a putback, along with a 3-pointer from Leyton Mihlbauer — Marty fouled out of the game with 10 minutes remaining.

Darlington took its largest lead of the game, 84-50, on a pair of free throws from Long with 6:30 left on the clock. The Redbirds reached a 34-point advantage four other times in the second half — on a Zeke Zuberbuhler bucket; a 3-point play from Zubherbuhler, completed at the line; a 3-pointer off the bench from Grady O’Brien and a layup from Glendenning, which was also the 100th point of the game.

“It was good to get our second guys in there and not see them panic, take care of the ball and score. We are young off the bench with a couple freshmen and a junior. It’s all going to help down the road when we try to get ready for the playoff push,” Uppena said.

With Redbird substitutes in, the Knights were able to score. Dylan Baker drained a 3-pointer and Charlie Sarbacker scored eight points in the final two minutes of the game, including the last points.

Four Redbirds finished in double figures, led by Will Murray with 27 points. Jackson tallied 16, while Buschor and Zuberbuhler recorded 12 each. As a team, Darlington made 12 baskets beyond the arc. 

New Glarus tied its highest offensive output, which was previously set against Monroe on Dec. 22. Charlie Sarbacker led the Knights with 11 points. Cade Thayer and Roth scored 10 each.