Gray Collegiate Returns to State Final With 68-43 Win

War Eagles to Face York Prep for Class 2A Title

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The “Revenge Tour” for Gray Collegiate boys basketball lived up to its title Monday in the Davis Fieldhouse at Bob Jones University.

Motivated by an early season loss in the first meeting, the War Eagles put forth a dominating second half effort to defeat Andrew Jackson 68-45 in the Class 2A Upper State final.

Montravious White had 23 points, Calvin Hill finished with 17 and Avantae Parker added 15 before fouling out for Gray Collegiate. The War Eagles are now headed back to the state title game for the fourth time, a goal which was personal for head coach Dion Bethea after last year’s Upper State final loss to Christ Church.

“I took the blame for that,” he said. “I felt like we didn’t send our seniors out the right way. Getting back to this point, it was definitely, definitely important.”

Adding to Bethea’s satisfaction of a return trip to the final was defeating the Volunteers for the fourth time in the postseason. Their celebratory reaction to the 67-60 win over Gray Collegiate in the Holiday Hoops Fest at C.A. Johnson High School on Nov. 24 did not please him and he made sure it stayed in his team’s memory going into Monday.

The War Eagles took control from the start with a 5-0 lead. Along with setting a more defensive tone, they enjoyed success with White and Parker in the pick and roll to the tune of eight points on three dunks and a near-dunk.

Parker finished with 12 points in the first half, matching Andrew Jackson’s All-State guard Ca’Darrius Sowell who finished with 17.

Gray Collegiate led as many as 10 points before a three-pointer by Sowell and jumper by Tanas Watkins, who had 15, cut their lead to 31-26 with less than a minute remaining.

The War Eagles answered with four points in the final 20 seasons. After a short jumper by White, Devin Johnson stripped the basketball from Sowell at halfcourt and scored a layup with a second left to put Gray Collegiate up 35-26 at halftime.

After Andrew Jackson’s JaQuan Ealy opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, Gray Collegiate did not allow another field goal for over 11 minutes. The War Eagles went on a 17-3 run to take its biggest lead at 52-32 going into the fourth quarter.

There was no letting up for the War Eagles in the fourth quarter. White continued to attack the basket, scoring 12 points in the final frame. He capped off his scoring with a defensive steal and layup in the final minute to give the War Eagles their biggest lead.

“Trey’s been a solid for us all season,” Bethea said. “He needed to get back into his groove. He know his defense is solid. He’s going to be real tough and he stepped up to the challenge and finished the game off real good.”

In four playoff games, Gray Collegiate has held opponents to an average of 35.2 points. It now faces top-ranked York Prep in the Class 2A final at 2 p.m. Saturday at the University of South Carolina-Aiken.

Coached by former University of South Carolina guard Larry Davis, the Patriots improved to 25-0 with the 61-41 win over Wade Hampton in the Lower State final at the Florence Civic Center.

“This is not our most athletic group, but this is our most gritty,” Bethea said. “They really get down and they guard. They play hard and they play together. I love these kids. They really get after it and they work hard.”

Thomas Grant Jr. | Chronicle
Gray Collegiate Academy head coach Dion Bethea

Gray Collegiate, Bethea, White, Avantae Parker, basketball, final

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