SAN ANTONIO – Champion will be making its first appearance at the state basketball tournament after the Chargers won the Region IV-5A title last weekend.
Champion defeated McAllen Friday in the regional semis, 61-50, and then took care of district foe Veterans Memorial on Saturday for the right to go to state, 51-46.
The Chargers play Thursday in the state semifinals in the Alamodome against Mansfield Timberview, 8:30 p.m.
Champion coach Chris Adamek played at the state tourney in 1990 under BISD AD Stan Leech and now Adamek gets a chance to take his own team to state.
“The relationships … this bonds you forever and 30 years from now we’ll be able to hang out like Coach Leech and I,” Adamek said.
To win the regional title, the Chargers had to get past Veterans Memorial, a team that beat them twice in 26-5A play.
Champion had a good start and was up 26-15 at the end of the first quarter. Owen Tate, the team’s No. 5 scorer, had the hot hand early and gave the Chargers a lift by hitting three 3s and a 2-pointer for 11 first-quarter points.
“When teams are preparing for us, they’re getting ready for the other guys and Jesse (Peart), Charlie (Georgelos) and Braxton (Burdick) really set me up,” he said. “When we get it to (Braden) Baum and work inside out, I get outside looks and I just have to knock them down.”
Tate said he doesn’t mind the pressure. “I’ve been shooting the
“I’ve been shooting the ball my whole life, that’s my job,” he said.
Peart and Baum hit one 3 in the second and Burdick added a pair of free throws in the second as Champion cooled down with only 8 points, but the Patriots only scored 7 in the second so the Chargers took a 34-22 lead into halftime.
At the break, the Chargers were 4 for 7 from 2-point range and were 6 for 10 from the 3-point line, while Veterans Memorial was only 5 for 14 from long range and only took seven 2-point shots against a suffocating Champion defense.
Burdick said their goal was to keep them out of the paint.
“The last two games we let them get in the paint too much and we had to really stop the lay-up game,” he said. “We ran them out of the paint and it ended up working.”
Peart was battling foul trouble and picked up his fourth with 6:22 left in the third and the Chargers struggled a bit.
Peart sat out for about four minutes but by the time he returned, the Patriots had some momentum. They outscored the Chargers in the third, 14-8, and it was a sixpoint game going into the final period, 42-36.
Things tightened up in the fourth for both teams. Champion struggled with turnovers and had eight in the fourth quarter alone, 11 in the half.
Adamek said they kind of lost their focus.
“We were looking to our right and seeing where the Alamodome was located,” he said with a laugh. “We had some uncharacteristic turnovers but our defense was still steady so we were able to hold on and hit some free throws at the end.”
Peart made a 3 to start the fourth quarter but the Patriots went on a 7-0 run and it was a two-point game at 45-43 with 1:59 left, however they never caught the Chargers.
Baum nailed a huge basket with a driving layup to make it 47-43 and give the Chargers some breathing room with 1:40 remaining.
Neither team scored over the next 90 seconds or so as fatigue seemed to set in. The Patriots missed a couple of 3s and had a turnover, while Champion turned it over and then missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
Burdick grabbed the missed free throw with 8.9 seconds and was fouled. He made both FTs for the 49-43 lead, but Veterans
After a Pats timeout, Champion wanted to inbound the ball but Peart was fouled before the play started. He went to the line and made both to put the game out of reach at 51-46 with just two seconds left.
The Patriots missed a 3 at the buzzer and the celebration began for the Chargers.
“It feels amazing,” Burdick said. “We put in a lot of hard work.”
Tate said they still have more work to do.
“We did it, but we still have two more games,” he said.
Tate led the team with 14, Burdick had 12, Baum 11 and Peart 10, while Georgelos added 4.
Vs. McAllen
Champion won Friday’s semis, 61-50, and had another fast start. The Chargers were up 15-2 at the end of one and McAllen’s first bucket didn’t come until five minutes had passed.
The Bulldogs played better in the second and doubled up the Chargers 16-8, but Champion was still up at the break, 23-18.
Champion won the third, 15-9, and pulled ahead, 38-27, as the game went into the fourth. The teams traded points in the fourth and both tallied 23, but McAllen put on quite a shooting display and hit seven 3s, including five in a row at one stretch.
Baum led the Chargers with 20 points, Peart added 19, Georgelos finished with 11, Burdick had 10 and Jackson Marshall hit a free throw.
Vs. Mansfield Timberview
Mansfield Timberview is 35-4 and the Chargers are 33-6 entering Thursday’s state semifinals.
While this is Champion’s first appearance at state, the Wolves have been there five times and won it twice, in 2017 and 2019.
“They’re good,” Adamek said. “They’re No. 7 in the rankings.” Memorial went down and dropped in a 3 to trim the lead at 49-46, but with only two ticks on the clock.
Comment
Comments