SHOCKER, SHOCKER,SHOCKER!!!

Here it is on Monday and I am still in shock with what I witnessed at The Burial Ground last Wednesday night. How did a 7 and 16 Byrnes team come into Gaffney's house and upset the defending State Champions? How did a BAD Byrnes team beat the best team in the state? How did Gaffney lose, in the first round of the playoffs, to a team they had already beaten twice during the regular season by an average of 27.5 points? If you will look back at my preview of this game you will see what I said. The only way Byrnes could stay in this game would be if the Gaffney Indians did not have their heads in the game mentally. You could see GAFFNEY WAS NOT MENTALLY READY TO PLAY THIS GAME! They were missing layups, free throws, not blocking out on rebounds and they were not playing with their usual defensive intensity. THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD JUST SHOW UP AND WIN! It was like the two teams switched uniforms after pregame warm ups. You have to give Byrnes some credit, they played the game of their lives. They were getting to the loose balls, the ball was bouncing their way all night long. As Gaffney's poor play kept them in the game, they did what they had to do to win the basketball game. As bad as the Tribe played they still had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds. Their Allstate Point Guard Dershawn Dawkins missed his second free throw with 6.7 seconds left, that would have given Gaffney a 3 point lead. Another thing I said in the Playoff preview, was free throw shooting could cost the Indians in a close game. IT DID IN DEED!! After the miss they let Byrnes get the rebound and dribble all the way through their defense, even though they had three fouls to give before they would put the Rebels into the one and one. The Rebels missed the off balanced shot, but they got the rebound and scored on a put back at the buzzer to force overtime. It was all Rebels in overtime, as the Indians were still in shock that this Byrnes team had taken them to overtime. The Rebels got the lead on a three pointer and they hit their free throws to get THE UPSET OF ALL UPSETS. The 7 and 16 Byrnes Rebels had shocked the High School basketball world, as they had upset the Defending State Champions and this season's favorite for the State Championship the Gaffney Indians by a score of 61 to 54 in overtime. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

My View From The Stands..... I came to this game expecting another Gaffney blowout. I came to this game expecting to see the Indians focused and ready to make another run to the State Championship. What I saw was my concerns coming true, they were not mentally ready to win the State Championship. The Tribe has not been mentally ready to win a State Championship since winning the Upwards Christmas Classic in dramatic fashion back in December. THEY GOT THE BIG HEAD! They peaked mentally after their dramatic Championship Game victory over Irmo. They were 12 and 0 and on top of the High School basketball world. Then they started listening to all of the praise that was being said about them. "They were unbeatable", "They were going undefeated" and " You might as well go ahead and give them the State Title now". After the Upwards Championship they went 10 and 3 the rest of the season. They looked like themselves at times, but they were not nearly as mentally sharp as they were the first twelve games. They played frustrated at times, when they usually face adversity with confidence. They end the season at 22 and 3 overall and 8 and 2 and Region 3 4A Champions. The future is bright for next season and beyond, as they are loaded with returning talent and young talent coming up from the JV team and the Middle Schools. It takes more than talent to win championships, as this years Gaffney Indians proved. As the returning players and fans think about what could have been, during the off season, maybe they will both be more mentally ready for a State Championship run next season.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Lady Indians fell to Greenwood 51 to 47 in overtime in the 2nd round of the girls 4A playoffs. The Lady Indians had a very good season as they finished as Co-Champions of Region 3 4A.

Bring on Baseball and Softball!

Until Next Time.

TRIBE ENDS SEASON AS REGION 3 4A CHAMPS

The Tribe ended the regular season as Region 3 4A Champions! They finished strong winning their last three games, after they were shocked at The Burial Ground by Lancaster 54 to 53. It was Gaffney's second loss to the Bruins this season. They followed up the Lancaster loss with road victories over Clover 70 to 62 and Northwestern 72 to 54. The Tribe then came home for the regular season finale and Senior Day against the rival Spartanburg Vikings. They rolled to their second victory over the Vikings this season 82 to 64. The Indians end the regular season with a 22 and 2 overall record and an 8 and 2 record and Champions of Region 3 4A. It is playoff time and the Tribe opens defense of their State Championship at home in The Burial Ground against Byrnes. Let's look at the first two playoff games.

Byrnes @ Gaffney..... The Rebels come into this 1st round playoff game with a 7 and 12 record and the Number 5 Seed out of Region 2 4A. The Tribe blew out the Rebels twice back in December by 37 and 18. It is a huge accomplishment for the Rebels to make the playoffs, as they won only one game last season. The Indians will be without key reserve Willy Smith, as he sits out a two game suspension for being ejected in the season finale against Spartanburg. Should the Indians win this game, it would be the upset of all upsets if they didn't, they will play the winner of J.L. Mann @ Westside on Saturday night at The Burial Ground.

My View From The Stands..... There is probably 8 to 10 teams that are legitimate threats to win the State Championship in 4A this season. The list is led by Gaffney and Irmo in the Upstate and Wando and Lexington in the Lowerstate. It is going to be a very tough and exciting 4A playoffs this season. Whomever wins the State Championship will have to earn it. Starting with the 2nd round through the finals there will be some monster match-ups. I still see Gaffney as the team to beat. The two keys for Gaffney to defend their Title will be (1) their mental approach and focus on each opponent. (2) Free throw shooting. If Gaffney plays the way they are capable I don't see anyone beating them.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Gaffney Lady Indians won their 1st round playoff game with Laurens on Tuesday night 46 to 31. The Lady Indians came into the playoffs as Co-Champions of Region 3 4A and the Number 2 seed out of Region 3. They Travel to play Greenwood on Friday night.

I will have another Tribe Blitz on Monday to recap this weeks playoff games and to look ahead to the next round.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS!!!!!

TRIBE ENDS JANUARY FIRST IN REGION 3 4A

The Tribe started the month of January in an unimpressive fashion going 3 and 1 after the holidays. They were in last place in Region 3 4A after their first Region game, a surprising loss at Lancaster. They followed up the Lancaster loss with another lackadaisical performance at Rock Hill, a game they did win 74 to 66. It appears that they have refocused, as their last four games in January have been more Gaffney like. They ended the month of January on a 5 game winning streak and they stand alone at the top of the Region 3 4A standings at 19 and 1 overall and 5 and 1 in the Region. Lets look at the last four games.

Gaffney @ Spartanburg..... On January 21st the Indians traveled over to play old rival Spartanburg. Less than a week earlier the Indians had lost at Lancaster. To make things even more interesting, Spartanburg beat Lancaster after Lancaster had beaten Gaffney. Was the balance of power changing in Region 3 4A ? NOT HARDLY! The Indians got a visit from former Indians great and current Minnesota Vikings WR Sidney Rice before the game. Rice would watch the Indians jump out to a 12 to 0 lead and never look back, as the Tribe made a statement with a 101 to 77 rout of the Vikings. Freshman phenom L.J. Peak led the Indians with 26 points and Sr. Willy Smith had 14.

Northwestern @ Gaffney..... The Tribe finally had a game at home in The Burial Ground. This was the first game at home since the championship game of the Substation II Holiday Invitational all the way back on December 21st. Northwestern came into the game a very hot team. IT DIDN'T MATTER, Gaffney ran out to 42 to 19 halftime lead and coasted in the 2nd half, as they built the lead to as many as 26 points. The Indians defeated the Trojans 80 to 58 behind 20 points from Jr. Quinshad Davis and 17 from Sr. Dershawn Dawkins.

Rock Hill @ Gaffney..... Three days after their 22 point win over Northwestern, the Tribe would pound the Rock Hill Bearcats by 22 points as well. The Indians defeated the taller Bearcats 84 to 62. L.J. Peak led a very balanced Gaffney offense with 13 points. The Indians had 12 players to score in this game.

Clover @ Gaffney..... So the Indians were back out on the floor less than 24 hours after their rout of Rock Hill, as they hosted a rescheduled game against Clover. This was a big game to close out the month of January, as both Clover and Gaffney came into this game with 4 and 1 records in Region 3 4A. Both teams only Region losses were to Lancaster. You had contrasting styles with Clover trying to keep the game a half court game and Gaffney with their pressure full court game. Clover was able to make it an ugly game, as they controlled tempo with their slow down offense and very good half court defense. The score was only 23 to 17 at the half. Gaffney was able to force a little faster tempo in the 2nd half, but missed easy shots and a lot of missed free throws kept Clover in the game. Clover was able to cut the Gaffney lead to 49 to 44 with less than a minute to play. The Tribe finally hit some free throws, as "Q" Shands hit two clutch free throws and Dershawn Dawkins hit four clutch free throws down the stretch to nail down the Tribe's 55 to 44 win. L.J. Peak led Gaffney with 16 points and he made some very big defensive plays down the stretch as well. This win puts Gaffney in sole possession of first place in Region 3 4A with a 5 and 1 Region record and they are 19 and 1 overall.

My View From The Stands..... It appears that the Indians have refocused after a mid season let down, as they have won five in a row heading down the stretch of the regular season. They are 5 and 1 in Region 3 4A play and Clover is sitting at 4 and 2 with Lancaster and Northwestern at 3 and 3. There are four Region games left in the season and if the Tribe can keep from getting the BIG HEAD they should be in good shape. Their are two things that I see the Indians need to improve on (1) FREE THROW SHOOTING! Some games they shoot them good and some they don't. IT COULD COST THEM IN A CLOSE GAME! Just look at the Lancaster game when they lost by five and they were only 10 of 24 from the free throw line. (2) DEFENSIVE INTENSITY! At times their defensive pressure looks a little lazy. Just look at the Spartanburg game, they gave up only 16 points to the Vikings in the 1st half but they gave up 61 in the 2nd half.

TRIBE FACTS..... Fifteen of Gaffney's nineteen wins have been by double digits.

Remaining Regular Season Schedule..... has the Tribe hosting Lancaster tonight, as they try to avenge their only loss of the season. Friday February 4th they travel to Clover for a key Region 3 game. On Tuesday February 8th they travel down to Northwestern for another key Region 3 battle. Then they come home to The Burial Ground on Friday February 11th to close the regular season with rival Spartanburg. If the Tribe plays like they can and the ball bounces the right way they should have the Region 3 Title wrapped up possibly by this weekend.

FORMER INDIAN UPDATE..... Gaffney's Donald Sims who played on the Indians' three peat State Championship teams of 2003, 2004 and 2005 has become Appalachian State's all time leading scorer.

GO INDIANS!!!

Until Next Time.