BOYS BASKETBALL IS BACK ON TOP

 Lions’ boys varsity basketball State Championship victory , the first in 7 years, is filled with intense, nail-biting action. .

We faced The Woodlands, just like last year in the Semi-Finals  we were tied going into overtime…just. like. last. Year! Point-for-point the whole last quarter, with overtime beginning at 51-51.

The difference is, this year, the  lions ended things with a resounding win!

As overtime began, The Woodlands gained 3 points, and so did the lions. Then Junior Brandon Lawrence hit a big 3-pointer, and Senior Lundyn Ellison made a clutch free throw, putting  us ahead by 4 points, which sealed the deal, ending with a final score of 58-54.

“We finally get our chance to get some revenge on the team that left us heartbroken last year,” said Junior Brandon Lawrence.

Friday March 1, 2019 was a date that this team  circled on their calendars months ago , hoping they would get a chance to play The Woodlands Christian in a rematch of the Boys 4A division state championship. This match-up has become a rivalry with a split in the series of 1-1.

“Beating Lubbock Christian was cool and all, but we have a bigger goal in mind that we have not accomplished yet,” said Junior DJ Jones.

After defeating Lubbock Christian in the semi-finals at Robinson High School with a score of 79-57 the lions went to briefly celebrate their victory at Buffalo Wild Wings. While at Buffalo Wild Wings, the assistant coach, Jason Lake informed the team “that the rematch was set,” as The Woodlands Christian beat Vanguard College Prep.

The team followed the news with a response of “LET’S GO”!

Knowing the importance and atmosphere of the lions’ upcoming game, the team headed back to their hotel, and were ordered to have lights off and phones away by 10 pm the night before.

“Getting to face this team has been a dream of mine for the past year.” said Myles McCrary.

The team met up for a pregame breakfast to discuss a game plan and strategy to defeat The Woodlands. To make matters more awkward, their opponent was staying in the same hotel and eating breakfast right beside them!

Junior Andre’ Nunley described this moment as “the calm before the storm.”

“The team’s vibe was very serious and focused, we usually crack jokes and mess around with one another, but that day we were all locked in,” said Senior Trey Jordan, who had been here before…last year when it didn’t end well after a double overtime thriller.

As our lions ran onto the court  for the pregame warmups, the crowd went crazy! This match-up was the final game of the night, attracting the largest crowd totals of all the State Championship games of the day.

The lions came out victorious over their rivals with a 58-54 win in overtime. This made it four total state championships for Grace Prep basketball.

“This moment and this team are two things that I will never forget, I love each and every one of these guys and they deserve this championship,” said Coach Alfred.

The team was ecstatic about their season ending with an impressive 35-2 record defeating many public and private schools on their way to earning this state championship.

“Getting to win this state championship is one of the best feelings of my life, I will never forget this season.” said Evan McCarthy.

This season was definitely won to remember.