By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com
(February 14, 2017) — Dublin is celebrating its first district boys basketball championship since 2012 after winning at Coleman Tuesday, 69-65.
Elton Galbreath had perhaps the biggest sequence of the entire district season in 6-3A when he banned in a shot to give Dublin a one-point lead, then grabbed a defensive board that led to a Rayce Jackson 3-pointer to make it 58-54 early in the fourth.
“I cannot say enough about that kid. He has come so far. I’ve talked to him many times in the season how we believed his moment would come and tonight it did,” said second-year Dublin head coach Will Parker. “He did his job, he didn’t play outside his role and you just can’t say enough about what that guy means to this team. He’s done it all year under the radar, and for him to get to do it in a district championship game, I just couldn’t be more proud for him.”
The Lions played from ahead the rest of the way and kept their composure on a night when Coleman, which finished alone in second in 6-3A, was whistled three technical fouls on three different players.
“This was our 22nd game on the road. We’ve played in three championship games in tournaments. We’ve played in Lipan, in De Leon, in Stephenville, and it was all by design,” said Parker of handling adversity and pressure. “We played in tough situations so we would be prepared for moments like this. To end it on the road is fitting for us and exactly how it was supposed to happen.”
The Lions open state playoff action in a Region I-3A bi-district match-up against Merkel at 7 p.m. next Tuesday at Eastland High School.
Brady Moore made one of two technical free throws for a 66-63 lead, but the Lions stall offense was interrupted by a turnover that led to a Coleman timeout then a hard-driving two.
It was 66-65 and Dublin missed on the offensive end, but after grabbing the board, Coleman threw the ball away with 11 seconds left. Gabe Garcia was fouled after the inbound and made one free throw for a two-point Lion advantage.
Josh Hanes made perhaps the second biggest play of the night when he rebounded the missed second free throw by Garcia, and quickly got the ball to Rayce Jackson. The junior was fouled and hit both free throws to finish the scoring with the Lions safely on top by two possessions.
Moore finished with 26 points and Jackson 21. Jackson topped 1,000 points for his career, joining Moore, a senior, who reached that milestone earlier in the district race.
Garcia added seven, Hanes five, Galbreath four, Jeremiah Martinez three, Brayden Burleson two and Trask Brown one.
Add it all up, and you have the Lions going from last in district in their first season under Parker to districts champs in their second.
“Last year we were the worst team in the district and we went from worst to first this year. These guys come to work every day, and are always striving to improve themselves and our program, and we’re district champions across the board – freshman, JV and Varsity,” Parker said. “It’s a really great feeling to know our program is headed in the right direction.
“You can’t expect to come in here and have the type of positive attitudes from the kids and the buying in right away to the system I brought with me like we have,” he added. “To go from worst to first, it takes a great belief from the guys in what we’re trying to do. I’ve had great support from the administration, they’ve believed in me, I’ve believed in the kids and the kids have believed in each other and what we are working toward.”
It looked as if Dublin may run away early, up 22-8 after one and 28-10 early in the second.
Coleman came to life and cut it to 41-31 at the half and used a big third-quarter surge to grab a 3-point lead. But that was as much as the Lions, who cut it to 54-52 entering the fourth, would trail by all night.
Watch for the Flash for more information including a bi-district playoff pairing for the Lions.
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