Tipton-Rosemark Academy captures first-ever D II-A West Region Championship
Tipton-Rosemark Academy didn’t look equipped for a postseason run after losing three of its final five regular season games, with its most lopsided loss coming by the hands of First Assembly Christian School. Fast forward five games later, and the…
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Continue ReadingTipton-Rosemark Academy didn’t look equipped for a postseason run after losing three of its final five regular season games, with its most lopsided loss coming by the hands of First Assembly Christian School.
Fast forward five games later, and the Rebels look like a different team, with a different mindset. Since the 48-45 loss to the University School of Jackson to end the regular season, TRA (21-8) has won five games in a row, and is now this season’s Division II-A West Region Champions after defeating Northpoint Christian by the final score of 51-42.
The Rebels made history Saturday night as they became the first basketball team at the school to win a regional championship, and it happened in Cedric Anderson’s second season as head coach.
“This is a very resilient team, because two weeks ago, everybody had written us off,” Anderson said. “We had lost three out of four games, and we had lost to FACS by 36 in the midst of those three losses, and people had given up on us.
“So, we started using this word for this group, and that was ‘believe’.”
TRA started to run away with the game in the third quarter. A score by sophomore forward Alex Anderson and a 3 from senior forward Kam Collier gave the Rebels a 36-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Midway through the third quarter, senior point guard Tysen Banks fell awkwardly on his right knee and came up limping.
It was a scary moment for Banks, who tore his ACL in last season’s championship game against Lausanne, but luckily, it wasn’t a serious injury, and Banks was able to return to action at the start of the fourth quarter.
TRA built a 43-30 lead, but the Trojans got within five (45-40) after two made 3s by junior guard Morgan Edwards and freshman forward Chris Gilliland. Northpoint Christian (23-6) had to foul the rest of the way to stop the clock, sending the Rebels to the free throw line to seal it.
Banks did that, converting on 6 of 8 attempts after missing his first two. Banks finished with 12 points.
“We had the planning and the expectations of a championship,” Anderson said about the team’s plan once he became head coach. “I think we took our first step last year. We were right there, knocking on the door, but you have to instill winning from the top down.”
Anderson led TRA with 18 points and was named MVP of the game. Anderson made clutch shots in the first quarter and in the final eight minutes. He scored five points during a 12-0 run to give the Rebels the 17-11 lead and TRA would lead the rest of the way.
Anderson also made clutch free throws in the fourth quarter to help the Rebels maintain a double-digit lead before the Trojans cut their deficit to five.
Senior forward Carlton Brown led Northpoint Christian with 17 points. Senior guards CJ Norfleet and Jorden Flowers each finished with eight points.
3 takeaways
- TRA was too big for the Trojans in the post. Anderson, 6-foot-6, and Collier, 6-7, were all over the glass.
- Banks is a difference maker for the Rebels on the defensive end. He had two steals in the second half that led to layups in transition. It’s not hard to see why fans were on the edge of their seats when Banks went down grabbing his right knee.
- TRA has the mental toughness to compete for a state championship. Banks, Collier, Alex Anderson, and Andrew Anderson are the heart of the Rebels. These four players will have to lead TRA to a gold ball.