Gray Collegiate eases past Mullins to head for Lower State championship
Upper State finals, Lower State finals, it doesn’t matter which division of the state Gray Collegiate plays.
“We knew we want to get to a state championship,” said Tommy Bruner, fresh from a 28-point performance in the War Eagles’ 76-47 rout of Mullins at Allen University on Tuesday night.
“From the beginning of the year,” Bruner added, “we always talked about state championship, state championship. But we know it’s one game at a time and we’ve gotta take care of the next team.”
With the victory at John Hurst Adams Gymnatorium, the War Eagles (19-10) play Mt. Pleasant’s Oceanside Collegiate in Florence on Friday for the Lower State championship. The Landsharks beat Woodland 69-63 Tuesday night.
Gray Collegiate worked its way through the Upper State bracket to win the 2A State title last year. This year they hope to complete the alternate route to clinch a second title.
“It’s exciting because this is our first time there,” War Eagles coach Dion Bethea said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Gray showed off its excitement in a slow and steady takedown of the Auctioneers (21-4).
Mullins came out running fast, but that speed triggered 17 forced and unforced turnovers in the first half. Bruner, Ty Rivers, who had 17 points, and Khalil Robinson, who had 10, led Gray to a 20-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter and a 38-26 lead at the half.
The Auctioneers came up with just six points in the third quarter. Gray’s 25-point fourth quarter largely came from the free-throw line when Mullins got into foul trouble.
Bruner came up with 20 points in the second half, 12 from the foul line, to seal the win. No Mullins player reached double figures.
“We had a lot of new guys on the team, so everybody who’s been here before started stepping up,” Bruner said. “We started talking to each other, coming together, and as the game went on we just picked it up.”
Going through Mullins to reach the Lower State final was more than just a challenge of matchups and making shots for coach Bethea.
“It was kind of emotional for me, man,” Bethea said, noting his uncle and longtime Aucs head coach Mark Gerald, who died in 2014. “He built that program. He was more than just basketball, he was in the community. I told the guys, there’s no winners or losers in this game, because both programs are his. I just told the guys to go out there and play hard, and do it for him.”
M: Gilchrist 9, Jo. Brantley 8, Reed 7, Gordon 7, Legette 7, Pressley 5 Ja. Brantley 4 Tommy Bruner 28, Ty Rivers 17, Khalil Robinson 10, Corbitt 6, Jenkins 5, Deloach 4, Robinson 2, Keith 2, Kelly 2.