Slow start finishes Braves at Final Four

Published 2:30 pm Monday, March 5, 2018

FORT VALLEY, Ga. — It might be all right to fall behind 10-0 in the first quarter against some regular season competition, but having that happen in the Final Four will almost certainly send a team home with a loss.

That’s what happened to the Baldwin High Braves in Fort Valley Friday afternoon when they faced off against the St. Pius X Golden Lions. The team out of Atlanta earned a trip to the Class 4A state championship next weekend after defeating the Braves 66-61.

“None of these guys have ever been to the Final Four,” Baldwin boys head coach Buck Harris said after the loss. “I’m the only one that’s been to the Final Four, and I told them before the game that they were going to be nervous. I thought just once we made a basket — I thought we were going to be all right. We just needed to see the ball go through the hole to show ourselves that we’re not in fantasy land and that we can play with these guys. But you can’t spot a good team like that eight points. We got back in it, but you can’t make mistakes against a good team like that, either.”

St. Pius seized momentum from the outset, scoring on its first possession and forcing BHS to turn the ball over. The Lions, with the help of their raucous student section, went on a 10-0 run that was not broken until a Baldwin free throw put the Braves on the board at the 2:39 mark in the first. Their first field goal did not come until more than a minute later when Kevin Hill splashed one home. BHS went on a 7-3 run to close out the period to get within eight.

Baldwin finally started playing its brand of basketball in the second, which quickly closed the gap. A 3-pointer from Torez Hicks gave the Braves their first lead of the game with just under three minutes to go until halftime. Although it gave BHS the lead in that instance, the 3-ball was primarily the Lions’ weapon throughout the contest. St. Pius’ Everett Lane knocked down seven shots from beyond the arc and ended up leading all scorers with his 25 points. The Lions carried the lead into the break, but Baldwin tied it back up heading into the all-important fourth.

The Braves actually had a 58-57 advantage with 2:29 to go in the contest, but one of Lane’s 3’s followed by a St. Pius steal and basket gave them the momentum they needed to finish off the Baldwin boys basketball team.

Coach Harris described the scene in the locker room after the loss saying, “It was a lot of pain and suffering in there. A lot of guys were hurt, and there were a lot of guys crying including myself. This is a special bunch. They wanted it, and played well enough to get it. As a coach you take responsibility for losses, and I take full responsibility for this one because I felt like I didn’t do enough to prepare them to win this game. They played their tails off, and we were right there. We were right there.”

Baldwin senior Brenden Robertson led the Braves with 16 points on the game. Junior Donte Justice scored 12 points with nine of them coming from the 3-point line. 

The Braves close out the season as Region 3-4A champions and a 24-7 record.