DARLINGTON — Redbird freshman Will Murray hit the shot of his life Feb. 1. After putting up 14 points against Division 4’s No. 1-ranked Cuba City, Murray hit the game-winning basket with 3 seconds to go, helping the unranked Redbirds get back into a tie atop the SWAL standings.

Darlington (14-4) went into halftime leading 39-37, but the Cubans (14-1) never stayed down and pushed the Redbirds all the way to the end. The Redbirds had been ranked in Division 4 prior to being bumped up to Division 3 in preparation for the playoffs. 

Murray (16 points) was one of four Redbirds to score in double figures, joining Cayden Rankin (19), Carter Lancaster (17) and Curtis Stone (16). Hunter Hardyman added 8 points and Easton Evenstad had 6. Stone led the Redbirds with 9 rebounds, while Rankin had 7 boards and Murray and Lancaster each had 6. Lancaster also dished out 6 assists.

Darlington finished just 3 of 13 (23%) from beyond the 3-point line, but hit 33 of 50 shots (66%) from inside the arc. The Redbirds grabbed 34 rebounds in the game and assisted on 24 of their 36 made baskets.

Both Cuba City and Darlington sit at 9-1 in the SWAL with just a handful of games left to play each. 

The next day, the Redbirds traveled to Boscobel and throttled the Bulldogs, 69-35.

Darlington jumped out to a 32-15 halftime lead, and then outscored Boscobel by 17 in the second half.

Lancaster led all scorers with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Murray had 9 points and 9 boards as well, while Evenstad, a guard, finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds. The Redbirds had 16 steals and 55 rebounds, but finished 0-for-8 from deep. Darlington also shot a collective 22 of 38 from the free throw line.

Johnson Creek 60, Albany 53

ALBANY — Clay Hulbert scored 23 points for the Comets, but the Blue Jays picked up the nonconference win Feb. 1.

Carson Brewer scored 11 for Albany, which also received 7 points from forward Rob Schroeder.

Albany trailed by 10 at the half, 26-16, before scoring 37 in the second half. 

The following day, the Comets lost to Pecatonica in a Six Rivers East game, 55-48.

Abundant Life-St. Ambrose 40, Argyle 37

ARGYLE — Coming back after taking two weeks off, the Orioles (2-9) are still a bit rusty and out of sorts.

Clay Ritschard scored 16 points to lead Argyle in the Feb. 1 loss. Kaden Hartwig had 9 points.

Abundant Life-St. Ambrose led 23-19 at halftime. Seth Byington finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Challengers (3-1).

Brodhead 71, Clinton 28

CLINTON — The Cardinals (11-7) outscored the Cougars (0-13) 49-18 in the second half to walk away with an emphatic road victory Feb. 2.

Owen Leifker led all scorers with 24 points, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers and 8 of 9 free throws. Brady Malkow added his second double-double in as many games, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Cardinals were just 7 of 25 (28%) from deep, but finished 15 of 28 (53.5%) inside. Brodhead was also a crisp 20 of 24 (83.3%) from the charity stripe.