Last second free throw the difference between Dallas Madison and Brock in 3A state title
Warren Dunn hit one free throw with 3.6 seconds left and Brock’s last-second shot came up short as the Trojans defeated the Eagles in the 3A state final for the second time in three years, 49-48 on Saturday at the Alamodome.
“Coach always says it comes down to free throws so I just had to shoot it with confidence,” said Dunn, who scored 9.
Tied at 41, Madison (21-15), ranked No. 3 in 3A, scored five-straight to grab a 46-41 lead with 2:56 to play.
Brock’s Bradon Smith’s layup made it 46-43 and Scott Thomas pulled the Eagles within 1 with 1:23 left. Thomas’ bucket in the fast break tied the game at 48 with 17 seconds.
Madison sophomore Jerome Rogers was named state title game MVP with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. The Trojans won their fourth state title in program history.
“It feels like a blessing to accomplish our goal that we had set out in the beginning of the season,” Madison coach Damien Mobley said. “I told them before the game that this is the last day of the season. There’s no reason to change anything, just play the Madison way. Play fast, aggressive, hit shots and enjoy the game.”
Dallas Madison, who beat Brock 42-36 in the 2017 final, hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter and grabbed a 19-6 lead after one. Rogers hit the first to give the Trojans a 5-4 lead at the 7-minute mark. Madison went on a 17-0 run to go up 19-4 after Dyeshun King hit two 3s and Rogers added his second with 2:15 left in the period.
“We knew coming in they were strong defensively. They like to put pressure on you and make it tough to get open looks,” Brock coach Zach Boxell said. “They had three guys that could shoot the 3, but they also like to get into the lane. So we had to shut that down and contest the open looks. They just got some open shots and knocked them down to get that big lead in the beginning.”
But No. 1 Brock (34-6) slowed the game down in the second quarter, holding Madison to 1 point midway through the frame. Buckets by Smith and Cooper Allen helped the Eagles get back within single digits and two free throws by Smith cut it to 5 with 2:59 until the break. Jesse Hallmark recorded a couple offensive boards and forced a charge to help spark the Eagles.
“He played good in the first game that sparked us to win. He did a lot of positive things for us today,” Boxell said. “He’s a player that has a lot of energy and knows what we’re trying to do. He puts in 100 percent every time he’s out there.”
The Trojans increased their lead to 31-20 following King’s third 3-pointer with 5:16 in the third quarter.
Trailing 35-24 with 3:14 to go in the period, Brock answered with a 12-0 run. Allen sparked the Eagles with 8-straight including two 3s. Smith and Brayton Chitty hit back-to-back layups in transition to give Brock a 36-35 lead.
Allen led Brock with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Smith added 12. The Eagles went 10 of 18 from the free-throw line.
“I knew it was important for us to have a great start,” Mobley said. “I told them no fear, have faith. That’s been our motto all season long. I’m proud of the guys, they withstood, stayed focus and kept their heads up.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2019 at 12:07 PM.
