Bulldogs Fall Short; But Make History
The Toombs County High School Bulldogs Basketball team finished their season as the State Runner-up with a record of 29-3 and made history at TCHS as the first team to ever play for the State Basketball Championship.
They took on the #1 team in the state in the Championship Game, the Patriots of Westside of Augusta at the Coliseum in Macon on Thursday of last week. Westside was the two-time defending State Champions coming into the game and was trying for the three- peat.
It was a tough game for the Bulldogs as they lost to the Patriots, but they were one of only two teams left in the state out of 64 teams that started the season in AA.
Toombs got off to a slow start and was never able to recover against the very fast Westside team. Westside jumped out to a 10-0 lead with three minutes to go in the first quarter of the game. The Bulldogs finally got on the board with a pair of free throws by Dominic Eason with 2:37 to play in the first.
A dunk and then a layup pushed the lead for Augusta to 14-2. Mike Polke added a basket for TCHS and then closed it to 14-7 with 20 seconds left on the clock. But at the end of the first quarter, the score was 16-7 with Westside out in front.
Eason got a big alley-oop from Jesus Quintero early in the second quarter, but a three-pointer and a couple more baskets pushed the Patriots’ lead to 21-9. It was 23-10 with five minutes to go in the first half. Quintero added continued from page
a three for the Bulldogs, but they answered, and it was 31-13 with just 25 seconds left in the half. At the end of the first half, the score was 31-14 with Westside well out in front.
Early in the second half, Westside hit two three-pointers and got a free throw as they extended their lead to 3814. Quintero finally got a shot to go, and then he hit a three to make it 38–19. But another three by Westside made it 43-19 with just over five minutes to play in the third. It was 45-19 with 4:30 on the clock, but Eason added a three and Quintero got runner to fall to make it 50-24 with a minute to go in the quarter.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 54-24 with Westside in front of the Bulldogs.
With three minutes to play in the game, the score was 57-26. It was 60-26 with 2:40 left to play in the game. Westside went on to win the game, 64-29, and claim their third State Championship in a row. Toombs didn’t have any players score in double figures in the game with Eason leading the way with 9 points.
The Bulldogs finished their historic season with a 29-3 record, and they were 12-0 in Region play during the season. The Bulldogs will lose seniors Dominic Eason, Jesus Quintero, Juju Cutler, and Marion James.
Jesus Quintero puts up a three-pointer during the State Championship Game against Westside of Augusta.Photo by TCHS
Mike Polke drives in against a tough Westside defense during Championship action in Macon at the Coliseum.Photo by TCHS
Gavin Fletcher makes a nice move around a defender and scoops the ball up toward the rim as the Bulldogs battle the Patriots for the State Title.Photo by TCHS
Parker Stanley fires up a shot for the Bulldogs in the Title Game against Westside.Photo by TCHS
