‘I am proud of my guys’: Andrew Jackson falls to Gray Collegiate in Upper State finals
The Gray Collegiate War Eagles pulled away in the second half and defeated the Andrew Jackson Volunteers, 57-39, to win the 2A boys’ Upper State Championship at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on Saturday.
The Eagles used a solid shooting performance and a stingy defense in the final two periods to earn the win. Gray Collegiate’s defense limited the Volunteers to only four field goals after halftime.
“I am proud of my guys,” said Andrew Jackson coach Danny Wright. “We had a good season. We won the region championship, and got the opportunity to play for the Upper State Championship.”
Both teams struggled in the early going. When the clock got to 3:56 in the first period, Andrew Jacson led only 5-4. Gray Collegiate went on a 7-2 run to take an 11-7 lead with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter. Keyshawn Truesdale scored on a layup for the Volunteers with two seconds left to make it 11-9 at the end of the session.
When the midpoint of the second quarter rolled around, the War Eagles held a 15-13 advantage after Taurus Watson made one of two free throws. Jyquan Ealey tied the contest at 15-15 for the Volunteers with a layup with 3:25 remaining in the first half. Gray Collegiate got a free throw from Watson, and Chase McDuffie scored on a three-pointer and a layup to produce a 21-15 advantage with 1:34 left in the first half.
Tez Black knocked down a pair of free throws and the Volunteers cut the deficit to 21-17 with 40 seconds remaining, but Gray Collegiate’s Latavian Lawrence made two of three charity tosses with one second left for a 23-17 halftime lead.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 6-0 run to take a 29-17 lead with 5:52 left in the third period. Lawrence scored four points in the rally, and Watson added two more. The Volunteers stopped the rally when Ca’Darrius Sowell made one of two free throws to cut the deficit to 29-18 with 5:23 remaining.
When Watson scored on a slam dunk to cap a 5-2 run, the War Eagles were in front 34-20 with 2:49 left in the third quarter. Jalen Robinson made a pair of free throws for the Volunteers to cut the deficit to 34-22 with 2:36 left, but the Eagles got the last four points of the period for a 38-22 cushion heading to the final eight minutes.
The two teams played on nearly even terms in the final quarter. Gray Collegiate’s biggest lead of the game was 56-33 when Lawrence scored on a layup with 1:41 left in the game.
Watson led Gray Collegiate with 17 points, and McDuffie joined him in double figures with 12. The Volunteers were led by Tez Black, who scored 11, while Robinson added seven.
The Volunteers started the season slowly, but they worked to get better and it paid off.
“After our first two losses, nobody thought that we were going to be very good,” added Wright. “We fought hard from that point, worked together, and improved as the year has gone along.”
Andrew Jackson finished the season with an overall record of 19-6.