Destiny 77, Darlington 55

Destiny (25-1) captured the Division 4 championship with a 76-55 win over previously undefeated Darlington in the final of the State Boys Basketball Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Saturday afternoon.

The score was not indicative of much of the game. Darlington led only briefly in the first half, but the Eagles were unable to put the Redbirds away until the waning minutes of the second half. 

Destiny led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Redbirds whittled their deficit to seven by halftime at 34-27. Darlington didn’t go away throughout most of the second half. Trailing by 11 at the 10:55 mark, the Redbirds outscored the Eagles 17-8 to cut the lead to 55-53 with 5:37 remaining. The Eagles sealed their destiny with 18-2 run to end the game.

Terrance Banyard led all scorers with 22 points and added a team-high four steals for the Eagles. Sarion McGee contributed a double-double with 14 points and 14 boards. The Redbirds were led by Will Schwartz and Ryan Glendenning with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Destiny’s bench also contributed to the victory, outscoring the Darlington bench by a remarkable 27-0.

The Eagles win the championship in their first-ever appearance in the State Tournament, becoming the 37th program to accomplish that feat. Darlington (27-1) finishes runner-up in its second State experience.