BASEBALL UPDATE NUMBER 1 (2012)

The Gaffney Indians are off to a pretty good start to the 2012 baseball season. They currently have a record of 6 and 3 overall and 4 and 2 in Region 3 4A. They have beaten Boiling Springs and Dorman in non-region play and they also fell to Dorman as well.

The Tribe is currently sitting in second place in Region 3 4A with a 4 and 2 region record. They have beaten Spartanburg, Lancaster, and Clover twice in region play. Their region losses have been to Lancaster and Region 3 4A's first place team Northwestern.

The Tribe has had a pretty good week thus far this week with an 8 to 3 win over Dorman and a 9 to 3 region win over Lancaster. Both of these wins avenged losses earlier this season to the Cavaliers and Bruins. The Indians travel to Rock Hill to face the Rock Hill Bearcats, for the first time this season, on Friday March 30th. This is a region game that the Tribe needs to win to stay in contention for the Region Championship.

Standout Players So Far This Season..... have been Josh Tate on the mound, as he has a couple of wins. He has been a pleasant surprise this season. Micheal Wright of course, he is just now getting into pitching shape and will become the ace that everyone expects down the stretch heading toward the playoffs. He has already been a standout hitter for the Tribe getting key hit after key hit. Josh Mata has had a very good start to the season both handling the pitching staff and swinging the bat. Jaylin Miller, Bryce Spurlin, Ryan Frock and Clay McKowen have also swung the bat well for the Tribe in the early part of the season. Sophomore Luke Lancaster pitched a great ballgame against Dorman on Monday pitching a two hitter over five innings to get the win. Josh Sereno and Kellon Stanley have also played well at times for the Tribe.

Outlook For The Rest Of Season..... I really expect the Tribe to make a run for the Region 3 Championship. They need to keep winning and have some help to catch Northwestern. They could really be a dangerous team come playoff time.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Tribe has already won the Region 3 Championship in football and basketball this school year. If they can catch Northwestern they could get the Championship in all three major sports in the same school year for the first time.

The next Tribe Blitz blog will be on Monday April 9th.

Until Next Time.

4A BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (2012) RECAP

UNBELIEVABLE FINISH to the 4A State Championship Game! The Gaffney Indians are State Champions again! Another Title for Title Town,SC! The headlines in the area newspapers said "Drama in Columbia" and "Wow"! I couldn't have said it any better. There was tremendous Drama in Columbia and Wow what a finish. The Tribe defeated the Lexington Wildcats 58 to 55 in overtime to win the State Championship of 4A basketball. Let's recap this classic Championship game.

Lexington Wildcats vs Gaffney Indians..... The game started slow with both teams struggling to execute offensively. Both teams were playing very good defense and the score at the end of the 1st quarter was Gaffney 7 and Lexington 6. The score looked more like a football score than a basketball score.

The Tribe built an early 2nd quarter lead of 11 to 6 but, Lexington would end the quarter with a 9 to 3 run to lead by 15 to 14 at the half. Gaffney's L.J. Peak would only score 3 points in the 1st half.

The offensive production picked up in the 3rd quarter with Lexington outscoring Gaffney 18 to 16 to lead 33 to 30 after the 3rd quarter. Quinshad Davis and L.J. Peak scored all of Gaffney's 3rd quarter points. Peak really came out being more aggressive in the 3rd quarter, with his jump shot not falling he was taking it to the hoop. Davis and Peak ended the 3rd quarter in foul trouble and Lexington's star Shaq Roland was also in some foul trouble. The foul trouble added to the dramatic finish to the game.

The Tribe trailed the entire 4th quarter until the waning seconds and were down by as much as seven points with 2:35 left to play. With the score 46 to 39, the Tribe started storming back behind some clutch baskets and their press causing a couple of turnovers. Gaffney cut the Lexington lead to 47 to 45 behind a couple of baskets by Peak and a couple of free throws by Kerry Williams. Then with 10.7 seconds left and Lexington leading 50 to 48, Gaffney's Quinshad Davis fouled Shaq Roland and it put Roland on the line for two shots and it fouled Davis out of the game. All Roland had to do was hit both free throws and Lexington probably wins the game but, he misses both free throws and then fouls Peak in frustration, as Peak was driving the ball passed half court with 7.1 seconds left. Peak calmly swished both free throws and the Tribe had tied the game up at 50 to 50. Another dramatic point in the game was the foul of Peak by Roland which sent Roland to the bench with his 5th foul. Lexington still had one last try to win the game in regulation, as Sam McDermott missed on a drive to the basket and also missed a put back by Nygel Gates as time expired in regulation. So we were headed to overtime tied at 50 to 50. We are also headed to overtime with Gaffney's Quinshad Davis having fouled out and Lexington's Shaq Roland had fouled out as well. Lexington's Sam McDermott also had an injury at the end of regulation.

The overtime started with Lexington going up 52 to 50 and then Gaffney got the lead for the first time since the 2nd quarter on an old fashioned three point play by Peak that put the Tribe up 53 to 52. Peak then added to the drama by fouling out with 2:48 left. Lexington went back in front 54 to 53 before the tribe got a basket and a free throw from Cobby McDowell and a free throw from Keenan Littlejohn to put Gaffney up 57 to 55. Gaffney's Kerry Williams then went to the line with the Tribe up 57 to 55 with 19.8 seconds left and made one of two to put Gaffney up 58 to 55. Lexington came down and tried to get off a three point shot but, had to call timeout with three seconds left. Lexington put three point specialist Sam McDermott back in the game and he tried an off balance three pointer that was missed and the Tribe had escaped with an unbelievable overtime victory 58 to 55 over Lexington.

My View From The Stands..... (1) It was a tremendous crowd in the Colonial Life Arena on Friday night. Gaffney had a great turnout as did Lexington. (2) There was an outstanding atmosphere for a tremendous basketball game. (3) If you would have told me that both Quinshad Davis and L.J. Peak would foul out and Micheal Wright would not score and Gaffney would win the ball game I would have thought you were crazy. (4) Davis and Peak were outstanding in the 2nd half before fouling out. (5) The Gaffney bench came up big late in the 4th quarter and overtime. (6) I have never seen a team handle adversity as well as this Gaffney team did this season. They just found a way to win ball games when things were stacked against them. (7) I saw 39 fouls called in this game. There were several questionable calls.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

L.J. Peak..... 22 points
Quinshad Davis..... 15 points
Kerry Williams..... 12 points
Cobby McDowell..... 6 points
Tee Smith..... 2 points
Keenan Littlejohn..... 1 point
Micheal Wright..... 0 points
Tee Hardy..... 0 points
Ron Best..... 0 points

The next edition of Tribe Blitz will be on April 1st.

Until Next Time.

4A BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW (2012)

The Gaffney Indians defeated Dorman 55 to 47 to win the Upper State Championship on Friday night at the Bilo Center in Greenville. The Lexington Wildcats defeated Aiken 44 to 36 to win the Lower State Championship on Friday night at the Florence Civic Center in Florence. This sets up a rematch of the 2010 4A State Championship Basketball Game between Gaffney and Lexington. The Gaffney Indians defeated the Lexington Wildcats 71 to 57 to win the 2010 State Championship. Let's preview the 2012 State Championship Game between Gaffney and Lexington.

Lexington vs Gaffney..... Lexington comes into this game on a roll. They have won 14 games in a row and they have an overall record of 25 and 5. They are coached by their longtime Head Coach Bailey Harris. He is considered one of the best coaches in South Carolina High School basketball. He has won a State Championship. The Wildcats are led by 2011's Mr. Football winner Shaq Roland. He was a starter and leading scorer on the 2010 Wildcats that lost to Gaffney in the State Championship Game. Roland not only excels on the football field he is a tremendous basketball player as well. He averaged 17.7 points per game this season. For the season the Wildcats averaged 67.0 points per game and they have given up an average of 50.4 points per game. To get to this State Championship Game they have beaten Ridge View 75 to 47, West Ashley 61 to 51, White Knoll 56 to 43 and Aiken 44 to 36 to win the Lower State Championship. During their playoff run the Wildcats have averaged 59.0 points per game and they have given up an average of 44.3 points per game. They have played good defense all season and they have kicked it up a notch in the playoffs.

Gaffney also comes into this game on a roll having won 16 of 17 games after a 6 and 4 start. They have an overall record of 22 and 5. Gaffney is coached by arguably the best High School basketball coach in the state of South Carolina Mark Huff. Coach Huff's record speaks for itself, as he has won four State Championships at Gaffney. The Indians became the only 4A team in South Carolina basketball history to win three consecutive State Championships from 2003 thru 2005 . The Indians had an 81 and 3 record during their three-peat seasons. Coach Huff also has another State Championship while at Southside High School. He also has a State Runner-up at Gaffney in 2009. He is going for his 5th State Championship at Gaffney and sixth overall. The Indians are led by sophomore sensation L.J. Peak with an average of 17.8 per game. Senior Quinshad Davis has averaged 11.7 per game and has really stepped up his game during the playoffs. Davis and fellow senior Micheal Wright have really shown a lot of senior leadership and they have made clutch play after clutch play during the Indians playoff run. For the season the Tribe has averaged 68.4 points per game and they have given up an average of 55.4 points per game. They have beaten Mauldin 83 to 40, Easley 81 to 77, Irmo 59 to 58 and Dorman 55 to 47 to win the Upper State Championship. During their playoff run they have averaged 69.5 points per game and they have given up an average of 55.5 points per game. The Tribe has shown a very good ability to overcome adversity and win close ball games all season and especially during the playoffs.

I look for this to be another fantastic basketball game. Two story lines to keep in mind during this game is Lexington losing to Gaffney two seasons ago in the State Championship Game and the rivalry between Quinshad Davis of Gaffney and Shaq Roland of Lexington. Davis defeated Roland in the basketball State Championship in 2010 and Roland beat out Quinshad Davis for the Mr. Football award back in the fall. Davis failed to get a football ring in the fall and he would like to keep Roland from getting a ring and he wants his second one before he goes off to Chapel Hill in the fall to play football for North Carolina.

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney is a football school and has 16 State Championships. They also have 5 basketball State Championships and they are going for number 6 on Friday night.

You can look for my State Championship Game Recap on Monday March 5th.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS AND BRING THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BACK TO TITLE TOWN!!

UPPER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECAP (2012)

Indians Win Upper State Championship with a 55 to 47 victory over the Dorman Cavaliers on Friday night at the Bilo Center in Greenville. The game was back and forth in the 1st half, as Dorman led 15 to 12 at the end of the 1st quarter. The lead changed hands several times in the 2nd quarter with Gaffney ending the 1st half with a 29 to 28 lead.

The Tribe took control of the game with a 12 to 2 run to start the 3rd quarter to increase their lead to 41 to 30. Gaffney's starting point guard Cobby McDowell had to leave the game midway of the 3rd quarter with an ankle sprain. The Cavaliers would cut the lead to 43 to 36 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The 4th quarter started with Gaffney's L.J. Peak scoring on his third dunk of the game, by driving the baseline and slamming it one handed, to increase the Tribe's lead to 45 to 36. The Cavaliers were not ready to pack it in for the night. After being held to only eight points through the first 12:30 of the 2nd half they would start a comeback. The Cavaliers went on a 7 to 0 run to cut the Gaffney lead to 45 to 43 with 4:32 left in the game. The comeback was fueled by their half court trapping defense, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside's three-point play and then a dunk and two free throws by Curtis Webb. During the comeback attempt by Dorman, the Indians had some trouble with the half court trap, which is Dorman's bread and butter. The injury to starting point guard Cobby McDowell, the Tribe's best ball handler, was becoming a major concern. Behind the strong senior leadership of Quinshad Davis and Micheal Wright, the Tribe got it back together and held Dorman scoreless over the next 3:31 of the game to pull away. Davis had a key basket and a couple of free throws and Wright made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch and Peak had a basket and a free throw to finish off the game and win the 2012 Upper State Championship for the Gaffney Indians. The Tribe won the game 55 to 47. The Tribe's record improves to 22 and 5 and they have won 16 of 17 after starting the season 6 and 4.

My View From The Stands.....(1) The Gaffney fans turned out in full force and were a factor in the Tribe's victory. (2) The Tribe played outstanding defense in the 2nd half holding Dorman to 19 2nd half points. (3) L.J. Peak had three very impressive dunks and scored a game high 15 points. (4) Gaffney seniors Quinshad Davis and Micheal Wright continues to lead this team with their leadership skills and with their play on the court. They refuse to let the Indians lose. (5) Hopefully the Tribe will have a healthy Cobby McDowell back for the State Championship game against Lexington. He has had a good season running the Gaffney offense. He was missed during Dorman's run in the 4th quarter Friday night.

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney plays Lexington for the 2012 4A State Basketball Championship Friday night at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. This is a rematch of the 2010 State Championship Game when Gaffney defeated Lexington 71 to 57.

TRIBE FACTS..... Head Coach Mark Huff is now 6 and 0 in Upper State Championship Games with Gaffney. He is now 10 and 0 in Upper State Championship Games for his career.

Tribe Blitz will have a State Championship Game Preview on Thursday March 1st.

Until Next Time.

BASKETBALL ROUND 3 RECAP AND UPPERSTATE CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 PREVIEW

I figured it would be a long time before I would see a High School basketball game any where close to the game I saw back in December 2010 at the finals of the Upwards Classic between Gaffney and Irmo. That game had every thing including overtime, which was won by the Gaffney Indians 85 to 84. The round three playoff meeting between Number 1 Irmo and Number 2 Gaffney had the billing to be an instant classic and it most definitely was. These two games between the Irmo Yellow Jackets and the Gaffney Indians were the best two basketball games I have ever seen. The 2012 round 3 playoff game, on Tuesday February 21st, will have to be "Best Basketball Game I Ever Saw" number 1A and the Upwards Classic Championship in 2010 as 1B. The game Tuesday meant more because it sent Gaffney to the Upper State Championship Game. Let's recap the thrilling Gaffney 59 to 58 victory over Irmo in a game played in front of an overflow crowd at The Burial Ground at Gaffney High School.

Round 3 Irmo @ Gaffney..... The top-ranked Irmo Yellow Jackets came out smoking hot in the 1st half against the Tribe. They hit 14 of their 21 1st half field goal attempts to lead 18 to 15 after the 1st quarter and 34 to 27 at the half. Clemson commitment Jordan Roper scored 16 0f Irmo's 34 points in the 1st half. The Indians missed several shots from close range and gave up two many easy baskets but, they were still within striking distance.

The 2nd half started with Irmo increasing their lead to eight points early in the 3rd quarter but, behind good defense and some timely baskets from L.J. Peak and Quinshad Davis the Tribe cut the Irmo lead to 41 to 39 after the third quarter. The Tribe played much better defense in the 3rd quarter holding the Jackets to only seven points.

The 4th quarter started and I knew the game was going down to the very end. Little did I know was the kind of a dramatic end we were going to get. Gaffney's L.J. Peak tied the game at 46 with a tip end with 5:14 left in the game but, fell and hit his head on the floor and had to leave the game bleeding. Peak would return less than 2:00 minutes later with a band aid over his eye and wearing another uniform top. His normal number 10 jersey was covered with blood so he was wearing number 50. The Tribe would take their first lead since the 1st quarter at the 2:56 mark of the 4th quarter on a jumper in the lane by Cobby McDowell that made the score 49 to 48. The noise in The Burial Ground was deafening. The teams kept battling back and forth but, with 18.6 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 55, L.J. Peak went to the line and hit two free throws to put the Tribe up for good at 57 to 55. Irmo got the ball back trailing by two with 10 seconds left, Gaffney's Micheal Wright came up with his second huge steal in the last two minutes of the game and drove in for an uncontested layup to put Gaffney up 59 to 55. A desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer by Irmo made the final score Gaffney 59 Irmo 58. It was an unbelievable game and now it is on to the Bilo Center in Greenville for the Upper State Championship Game against the Dorman Cavaliers.

My View From The Stands.....(1) I got to my seat in The Burial Ground around 6:00 PM and there were a few hundred people already in the gym. (2) I was a little concerned at halftime with all the easy baskets Irmo was getting. Their star guard Jordan Roper was killing Gaffney with 16 1st half points. (3) The Gaffney coaches made halftime adjustments by putting their best defender Quinshad Davis on Roper for most of the 2nd half. They also played L.J. Peak on him when Davis wasn't on him. They are both 6'4" with long arms and they definitely altered his shots. He only scored 10 points in the 2nd half and only had two field goals. (4) Gaffney's two senior starters Quinshad Davis and Micheal Wright refused to let the Tribe loose this game. Their play and leadership has been PRICELESS during the playoffs.

UPPER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW

Gaffney vs Dorman..... The Dorman Cavaliers come into this game with a 25 and 3 record. They have defeated Woodmont, Richland Northeast and Lancaster to make it to their second consecutive Upper State Championship Game. They were defeated handily by Irmo last season in this game. The Cavaliers have defeated Gaffney twice this season. They defeated the Tribe early when the Tribe only had seven players because the football players were still playing football. The second time they defeated Gaffney the football players, except for Quinshad Davis, were with the team but, had not practiced but a couple of times and were not in basketball shape. They will be playing a much different Gaffney team this time. The Cavaliers have improved game by game as the season has played out. Their star player is Curtis Webb who averages 16.1 points per game. The Cavaliers win with defense and they are also playing with a lot of confidence and playing with a chip on their shoulder. They feel like they have been overlooked and haven't gotten the recognition they feel like they deserve. They are averaging 63.9 points per game and they are giving up 50.1 per game. They have really been good at finding ways to win the close game. Their Head Coach Thomas Ryan has done an outstanding job with this team.

The Gaffney Indians come into this game with a 21 and 5 record. They have defeated Mauldin, Easley and Irmo to get to the Upper State Championship Game for the 3rd time in 4 years. They won the State Championship in 2010 and were State runner-up in 2009. It will really be a different Gaffney team that Dorman will play this time around, as they have only lost one game with their whole team together. They lost the season finale to Spartanburg in a game that they had nothing to play for and they were uninspired. The Tribe has been led in scoring by L.J. Peak with an average of 18.0 per game. They have really gotten inspired play from their two senior starters Micheal Wright and Quinshad Davis. Both of these two were starters on the 2010 State Championship team and Peak was a key reserve as an eighth grader. The Tribe has averaged 68.9 points per game this season and they have given up 55.7 per game.

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney Head Coach Mark Huff is 5 and 0 in Upper State Championship Games as the Indians' Head Coach.

See you at the Bilo Center Friday night February 24th at 8:30 PM for the Upper State Championship Game between the Gaffney Indians and the Dorman Cavaliers. Tribe Blitz will have a recap of the game on Monday February 27th and if the Tribe wins a State Championship Preview on Thursday March 1st.

Until Next Time.

ROUND 3 OF 2012 BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS PREVIEW

This time last season the powerful Gaffney Indians basketball team was sitting at home, after a mental letdown in the 1st round against a bad Byrnes team led to a 1st round upset ending their great season with an unbelievable thud. The Indians have come out this post season like a team on a mission, as they have blown out Mauldin and they hung on to defeat a very good Easley team in round 2. Let's recap the first two rounds of the 2012 playoffs and preview round 3.

Round 1 Mauldin @ Gaffney..... The Tribe started slowly on the offensive end of the floor in this one but, they got on a roll late in the 1st quarter and never looked back in blowing out the Mavericks 83 to 40. The Tribe was led by a stellar defense and an offense that executed very well against the Mauldin zone defense. The Tribe was led in scoring by sophomore L.J. Peak with 18 points. Senior Micheal Wright also hit three 3-pointers to help loosen up the Mauldin zone defense. This win was huge for the Tribe, as they got the 1st round monkey off their backs.

Round 2 Easley @ Gaffney..... The Indians came into this game knowing they were going to have to contain the Easley 3-point shooting game. The Green Wave hit 16 of them in their round 1 win over Byrnes. The Tribe jumped out to a fast start and led 24 to 14 after the 1st quarter. The Wave cut the lead to eight by halftime, as the Tribe led 39 to 31. Easley's best player is Senior forward Spencer Collins and he kept the Green Wave in the game. The Tribe started fast in the 3rd quarter and eventually built an eighteen point lead only to see the Green Wave cut it to 12 at 63 to 51 after the 3rd quarter. Collins scored 31 points through the first three quarters to keep his team in the game. The Wave made a serious run in the 4th quarter, led by 13 more points from Collins and some long 3-pointers by Alex Preston to get to within a point at 67 to 66. Quinshad Davis and L.J. Peak made baskets to build the lead back up to six but, the Green Wave would not go quietly. Micheal Wright hit two free throws with 7-seconds left to make the score 81 to 75 and seal the deal for the Indians. Spencer Collins scored at the buzzer to make the final score 81 to 77. Spencer Collins had a monster game for Easley with 44 points. The Tribe was led in scoring by Senior Quinshad Davis with 25 points and L.J. Peak scored 22 points and four dunks. Micheal Wright had a nice game with 14 points and three 3-pointers and Kerry Williams scored 13 points. The Tribes perimeter defense was a key to victory as well holding Easley to six 3-pointers. It's on to round 3 for the Tribe.

My View From The Stands.....(1) The Tribe has come out focused and playing with intensity in the playoffs. They are executing better on offense and they are also playing inspired defense. If it had not been for a superhuman performance by Easley's Spencer Collins, with 44 points, the Tribe wins easily in round 2. (2) The Tribe appears to be playing like a team on a mission and will have to play even better, as the opponents get even better. (3) Quinshad Davis is playing his best basketball of the season at the most important time of the season, PLAYOFF TIME. He scored 25 points against Easley and was a terror on the boards and defensively as well. The most important thing he is giving is great senior leadership. Senior Micheal Wright has stepped his game up as well with six 3-pointers in the playoffs and two double digit point games. Wright is also showing good senior leadership.

Round 3 Irmo @ Gaffney Preview..... I am really looking forward to this game. Number 1 Irmo coming to The Burial Ground. The defending State Champions coming to The Burial Ground. The game features the last two 4A State Champions, Gaffney 2010 and Irmo 2011. The last time these two powers played was in December of 2010 in the Finals of the Upwards Classic at Dorman. The Tribe won that game 85 to 84 in overtime. Irmo's Jordan Roper had a monster game with 43 points but, missed a free throw that would have iced the game for the Yellow Jackets by giving them a four point lead with 2.5 seconds left. He missed and the door was left open and the Tribe took advantage of the opportunity. Micheal Wright took the ball out of bounds and passed it 3/4 of the court to Quinshad Davis who caught the ball and quickly passed to L.J. Peak who drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game and send it to overtime. Then in overtime the Tribe trailed by one point 84 to 83 with five seconds left in the game. Micheal Wright drove to the basket and missed a layup but, L.J. Peak was there for the put back to give Gaffney a thrilling 85 to 84 overtime victory. It also gave them the Upwards Classic Championship. Everyone thought and hoped for a rematch of these two titans in the playoffs last season but, we know about Gaffney being upset in the 1st round which opened the door for the Irmo Yellow Jackets to roll to the State Championship and they did. We finally have the rematch but, it comes a year later than expected.

Irmo comes into this game with a 24 and 3 record. They are and have been Number 1 in the state all season. During the season they have averaged 68.1 points on offense and they have given up 49.3 points on defense. They are led by future Clemson Tigers point guard Jordon Roper. The bottom line is they are Number 1 and defending Champs for a reason, THEY ARE VERY GOOD. They beat Northwestern 63 to 37 in round 1 and Hillcrest 73 to 59 in round 2.

Gaffney comes into this game with a 20 and 5 record. They are on a roll winning 14 of their last 15 games. During the season they have averaged 69.3 points on offense and they have given up 55.6 points on defense. The Tribe is led by the nation's 21st ranked sophomore L.J. Peak, Quinshad Davis and Micheal Wright. The Tribe is playing with a purpose, to bring the State Championship back to Gaffney. In the playoffs the Tribe has defeated Mauldin 83 to 40 in round 1 and Easley 81 to 77 in round 2.

This should be one heck of a High School basketball game. The overtime game these two teams played last season is the best High School basketball game I have ever seen. If this game is half as good as that one was we are in for a good one.

Tribe Blitz will have the recap of this round 3 Playoff game between Irmo and Gaffney on Thursday February 23rd. If Gaffney wins we will also preview the Upper State Championship Game which will be Friday the 24th at the Bilo Center in Greenville.

Until Next Time.

FINAL THREE REGULAR SEASON GAMES RECAP AND PLAYOFFS PREVIEW (2012)

The Tribe finished their regular season winning 2 of their last 3 games and clinching the Region 3 4A Championship. They head into the playoffs with an 18 and 5 record overall and 9 and 1 in Region 3. Let's recap the final three regular season games.

Clover @ Gaffney..... The Tribe came into this game knowing all they had to do was win one of their final three games to win the Region 3 4A Championship. The drama was over quickly, as they clinched the Region 3 Championship with a 69 to 51 win over the Clover Blue Eagles. The Tribe improved to 17 and 4 overall and 8 and 0 in Region play. It was also their 11th consecutive victory.

Northwestern @ Gaffney..... Score wise it looked like another impressive performance by the Tribe. Not so fast my friend. It was a flat lackluster performance but, a win is a win and I would rather win ugly than loose pretty. The Tribe just couldn't put the Trojans away until the games final minutes, as they pulled away for a 67 to 49 victory over Northwestern. The Tribe improved to 18 and 4 overall and 9 and 0 in Region 3. It was also their 12th win in a row.

Gaffney @ Spartanburg..... The regular season finale had the Tribe heading on the road to play rival Spartanburg on the Vikings senior night. Hoping for a more inspired and focused performance heading to the playoffs, the Tribe looked even more uninspired and showed a cause of some concern heading to the playoffs. The starters were benched for most of the 3rd quarter with star L.J. Peak not coming back into the game until less than two minutes left in the game. The Tribe could not get any closer than two points in the 4th quarter and saw their 12 game winning streak snapped by the inspiring play of the Spartanburg Vikings, as Gaffney fell 64 to 58. Gaffney's record fell to 18 and 5 overall and 9 and 1 in Region 3.

My View From The Stands..... I like this team but, I am concerned heading to the playoffs. For most of the season they have faced adversity and found ways to win ball games. They found ways to win games even when they didn't have their A-game. The issues from Friday night at Spartanburg looks as though there might be some dissension developing on the team. The maturity of star L.J. Peak has come into question, as has the teams focus and intensity. When they play smart and focused on both ends of the court they can beat anyone in the state. When they don't they can lose to anybody. Just look at the playoff debacle, in the first round, to a bad Byrnes team last basketball season. I think we will have a good idea about this teams chances in the playoffs this season with how their focus and intensity level is against an inferior team in the 1st round. It is going to be interesting and hopefully not another disappointing and egg laying performance by the Indians.

PLAYOFFS PREVIEW

The Tribe opens the playoffs as Region 3 4A Champions with an 18 and 5 overall record. If they can continue to win they will have home court advantage through the first three rounds until the Upper State Championship Game at the Bilo Center. Let's look at Round 1 of the 2012 High School basketball playoffs for the Gaffney Indians.

Round 1 Mauldin @ Gaffney..... The Mauldin Mavericks come into The Burial Ground on Wednesday night February 15th for the 1st round match-up with Gaffney with an 11 and 13 overall record. They are the 5th seed out of seven team Region 2 4A. If the Tribe will focus and play with intensity it should be an easy victory for the Indians. You can't take a win for granted, just think back to the 1st round last season when a BAD Byrnes team came into our house and pulled one of the biggest upsets in state playoffs history. THE TRIBE CAN NOT LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN! I have confidence that they can right the ship and get it done. I expect L.J. Peak to have a big game and carry the Tribe to the 2nd round on Saturday night.

Round 2 Possible Opponents..... The 19 and 5 Easley Green Wave, the number 2 seed out of Region 1 or the 9 and 12 Byrnes Rebels, the number 3 seed out of Region 2. The Tribe cannot afford to overlook Mauldin or the Easley Brynes winner to a possible game with Number 1 Ranked Irmo in the 3rd round. If they do it will be an early exit. Being a fan I would love to see a Gaffney vs Irmo game in the 3rd round. They played in the Finals of the Upwards Classic in December 2010 which was a double overtime game won by the Indians. It was the best High School basketball game I have ever seen. LET'S FOCUS ON MAULDIN AND TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS THERE AND THEN FOCUS ON THE 2ND ROUND GAME AGAINST THE BYRNES AND EASLEY WINNER.

We will recap the first two playoff games in the next Tribe Blitz on Monday February 20th.

Until Next Time.