No matter the score, the Brunswick boy’s basketball team kept fighting until the end, coming out on top, 66-60, in the City Championship Game at the Glass Palace.
Glynn Academy (14-5, 4-4) got off to a fast start in the second game of the City Championship, with the team leading, 16-3, early and cruising. The Terrors starting five were connecting on all cylinders, making the game look easy to them as they jumped out to a 22-11 first quarter lead.
The Pirates (11-5, 4-3) were able to cut the deficit to two points midway through the second quarter after a Riyon Rankin field goal, before Glynn Academy closed out the first half on a 7-0 run with baskets coming from Tyson Rooks and Tray Dickens.
Down 22-11 after the first quarter, 38-29 at the half and clawing their way back into the game, the Pirates were able to capture their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter.
“It felt like we were down 30 the whole game,” Brunswick head coach Chris Turner said about battling back into the game. “I don’t remember them missing a shot, especially in the first half, they didn’t miss. They played well. It wasn’t that we were playing that bad, it was just that they were playing really well.”
The Pirates had to fight hard against a Terror’s defense that was constantly changing from man defense to 3-2 zone defense.
“Glynn was going from a man to zone and we are really inexperienced as far as players,” Turner said about some of the struggles through the course of the game. “That’s where we are trying to improve on. Understanding to not have to burn timeouts to set them up for what can beat something. They were going from man to a 3-2 zone. I was trying to switch up how to attack it.”
Brunswick was able to add to its lead heading into the fourth quarter 49-45 in front of a sold out crowd ,but knew a late rally was coming from Glynn Academy.
“They hit shots all game long,” Glynn Academy head coach Terrance Haywood said after the loss. “That’s probably the fifth time I’ve seen them play and we’ve played them once already, but that’s probably the best they have shot the ball all year long. They hit some big shots. Clutch shots. It wasn’t just coming from one or two players, they were all hitting shots. When teams are hitting shots like that, teams are going to be tough, tough to beat.”
The Terrors were able to fight their way back into the game with two 3-pointers from Shane Payne to tie the game at 58 with 2:44 left.
Less than forty seconds later, Glynn Academy led 60-58 with 2:02 left after Rooks made a basket to bring the home team back in front.
But no matter the records an exciting finish was destined in the City Championship
Brunswick gave its traveling fans a finish to remember, rallying off an 8-0 run in the final two minutes. Not only did they complete the comeback, but they gave themselves a huge morale boost for a team that has struggled in parts of the season.
“We tell our guys in this game that we want them to be aggressive, but play smart,” Turner said after the win. “This game is easy to lose your head in and you never know who can win this game. Just like over at our place, they were able to get us over there and we were determined to come over here and someone get this one tonight. I’m really proud of my players, they played hard on defense and they made some big shots.”
Haywood said he was very pleased with how his team played in the loss, saying a night like Brunswick had from the floor is tough to beat.
“The guys played well tonight,” Haywood said. “I’m not disappointed. I’m hurt by the loss, but I’m not disappointed at all with our effort, our intensity, our execution. It came down to Brunswick making some big shots late in the game. When they needed a clutch shot they were able to knock them down.”
The valiant effort by Tyson Rooks in the defeat can’t be forgotten. The senior was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points as he hit clutch shots that kept his team in position to win.
The yearly City Championship Most Valuable Player went to Brunswick’s Camarion Johnson, for not only being on the winning side, but being the glue to the Pirates success. Johnson finished with 20 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“He’s had a big year and he’s had a good career for us,” Turner said of his star player. “He started as a freshman, he’s now a junior. We expect him to play well and when he does this team has a shot, because he’s complete. He can score, he can rebound, he can dish it and he can defend.”
Brunswick High resumes region play on Tuesday, when they host Effingham County (12-7, 6-2).
Glynn Academy will look to shake off the deflating loss to its cross town rivals when they host Richmond Hill (5-14, 3-4) on Tuesday.