Back 2 Back Champs!

BACK 2 BACK CHAMPS!

By Sam Kombrink

Congratulations to the Grandview Bulldogs boy’s-basketball team for bringing home another Class 4 State title to Grandview High School and the city of Grandview. They’ve achieved what only great teams do: winning back to back championships.

It was truly an honor to cover the Bulldogs of Grandview on the campus of Missouri State at JQH Arena in Springfield. On Saturday, March 16, at 2:40 pm the Bulldogs tipped off against the Dragons of St. Mary’s High School. St. Mary’s is located in St. Louis, MO.

St. Mary’s got off to a hot start in the first quarter by spreading the dogs out with three-pointers. At the end of the first quarter, Grandview found themselves down 21-15. Trailing, the Bulldogs looked to their veterans, Senior Point-Guard (#10) Deandre Sorrells and Senior Center (#33) Kamto Eze to get them going. Soon enough they were up 38-30 at halftime.

Both St. Mary’s and Grandview shot 80 percent from the free-throw line in the first half. The Bulldogs field goal percentage was 54.5 percent, hitting 12 out of 22 shots. Their shots were 50 percent from downtown, with two out of four three-pointers by Sorrels and Junior Shooting Guard (#32) Reggie Morris. Sorrels led all scorers with 14 points in the first half.

St. Mary’s was able to score 21 points in the 3rd quarter versus 14 scored by Grandview, making the score 52 to 51 in Grandview’s favor.

During the start of both the first and second half, itt was as if Grandview was playing “Get to know yah ball”, and then the Bulldogs started to eliminate the put-backs on the defensive end. In the end, the Bulldogs won 69 to 64.

Sorrells (#10) led the team with 26 points, but he could not have done it alone. Eze scored 17 points and lead the team with 14 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Star Freshman Taj Manning (#5) scored 13 points, 6 rebounds and had 3 blocks.

After the game, Coach Reggie Morris had this to say about the secret to their success. “We open our season with a retreat. We talk about some of the things that we feel are going to be important to our success. But I’m just going to put it out there–God. Bottom line. When each kid goes around in a circle and says that’s the most important thing to them, then I know that we’re working in the right direction, not just for basketball but for life. I would have to say that we are strong spirited because of our belief, our faith, and our trust in one another. Who was really in control? And who is our real head coach? I’m the earthly coach, but they know who the real Coach is.”

“We had seniors that wanted to create history. These kids bought in and they wanted to feel that same way when they walked off the court. We talked about fear, the sting of defeat. Because of their character, attributes, and who they are quality wise, they were able to overcome a lot of things this season. We’ve earned a lot based on our experience and our toughness, but mostly our trust.”

At the 2019 Show-Me Showdown-Class 4 Boys State Championship, the Grandview Bulldogs showed everyone what it takes to be a champion.

@sambo_sports