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4SHOT Sports 2008-09 GHSA State Championships 2009 GHSA Class 2A Finals Blessed Trinity “Titans” vs. Dublin “Fighting Irish” Dublin holds off Blessed Trinity Titans unable to overcome early barrage Macon Coliseum – Macon, GA Macon, GA – The 2A State Championship had the makings of lightweight bout consisting of two teams mediocre in stature but able to dish out quick penetrating blows. The Blessed Trinity Titans bring in a penetrating style of basketball led by senior Arris Brundidge who commands attention in the post. North Carolina State football commit Rashard Smith brings in a potent outside game along with a Dublin squad with him intent on sending off its seven seniors with a state championship under their belt. The Fighting Irish came out of their corner swinging. They hit the Titans early and hard. With four out of the five Dublin starters having the ability to handle the ball, they penetrated the lane on nearly every possession of the first period. Blessed Trinity head coach Brian Marks felt an early onslaught brewing and called a quick timeout after the Fighting Irish jumped out to a 9-2 lead. That little pep talk worked for a few possessions as the Titans cut the lead down to two, but Dublin ended the period strong led by senior Chris Smith, who hit a deep three followed by a quick pull-up jumper to the Irish up by seven. Matters only got worse for the Titans in the second period. Fighting Irish head coach Marvin Latham unleashed his press and with an over-exuberant fan constantly, “Shoot Chris!!!”, the Fighting Irish’s outside game was awakened. Dublin extended their lead off of the crisp shooting of C. Smith and senior forward Sherrard Brantley, who hit from long, medium, and short range. Senior marksman Ryan LeGates kept Blessed Trinity afloat as best as he could by answering with some long distance shooting of his own. Junior Jake Skole came off the Titan bench to add a little spark but when the smoke cleared and the halftime buzzer sounded, the Titans found themselves down by 15, 36 – 21, with their back against the ropes and feeling a little woozy after taking blow after blow being delivered by Smith and Brantley. The third period featured much of the same from both teams. C. Smith continued to hit it from deep and the Titans continued to hang on. The Fighting Irish proved to simply have too much athleticism for the Titans. Slashing moves to the basket either garnered a layup or a foul. On the defensive end, Dublin stymied the Titan offense. Brundridge was held under wraps and their only offensive life came from the magnificent shooting of LeGates. With time running out on the Titans, they put their faith in a press in hopes of creating turnovers in order to shorten the Dublin lead and a fan base that didn’t mind making the hour and a half trek from the Atlanta area. As a few groans stemmed from the crowd after some questionable calls by officials, the tide seemed to be turning somewhat and Blessed Trinity came off of the ropes swinging. Unfortunately, for the Titans, it wasn’t for long. After seeing their lead dwindle down to as little as ten points, Dublin seemed to tighten up their boot straps. The Fighting Irish quickly adjusted to the Titan press and dribbled right through it for easy baskets. R. Smith was able to penetrate and find junior Tawaski King for some easy flushes or keep it to himself for a twisting layup. Soon, that ten point lead ballooned back up to 18 as the swan song began to play for the Titans. There was no quit in the valiant effort of the Titans and their committed fans, but the Fighting Irish wouldn’t fold this night. After doling a couple of knockouts early, they were able to withstand the late surge by the Titans and capture the 2008-09 2A State Championship, 79-64. Final Score: Dublin 79 – Blessed Trinity 64 Scoring Recap: Blessed Trinity: Ryan LeGates had a team high 23 points and Jake Skole followed up with 14 points off the bench. Sean Rouse and Brendan Corcoran each finished with nine points. Dublin: Chris Smith led all scorers with 28 points. Tawaski King and Sherrard Brantley each finished with 16 and 15 points respectively. Rashard Smith rounded out the double digit scoring for Dublin finishing with 12.
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