Central Private stuns Prep, claims Overall Championship

Southern Sports & Travel

In the 44 year history of MAIS basketball no Louisiana boys team has ever hoisted the Gold Ball, until now.

The Central Private Rebels overcame a nine point halftime deficit to capture the 2013 MAIS Overall Championship with a come from behind 74-67 win over defending champion Jackson Prep.

Just one week after falling to Marshall in the Class AA State Championship game Central Private did what most considered a long shot, upending a Jackson Prep squad that goes ten deep and has one of the premier players in the MAIS, Josh Williams.

Just don’t tell Central Private head coach Henry Gantz this was an upset.

“When you beat a team twice in one season and they don’t beat you it’s not an upset,” said an overjoyed Gantz minutes after winning the school’s first ever Overall Championship.

Gantz was referring to the January 4th 78-73 win over Prep that many considered would be a huge motivating tool for Jackson Prep heading into yesterday’s matchup and after an alley-oop slam dunk by Josh Williams at the end of the first half put Central Private in a nine point hole at halftime it looked like the defending champions were two quarters away from earning another Gold Ball.

In a nip and tuck first quarter that included four ties Central Private would never lead.

Prep got out to a 7-2 lead in the opening three minutes of the game as Josh Williams attacked the rim for two baskets and Richard Baird nailed a 3-pointer from the wing.

Central Private would run off an 8-3 run over the next three minutes to knot the game at 10-10 with 3:03 remaining in the quarter but couldn’t grab the lead away from Jackson Prep.

After a Liam Thomas bucket in the paint tied the game for the fourth time at 14-14 Prep closed the quarter with a Gene Wood 3-pointer from the wing to give the Patriots a 17-14 edge after one quarter of play.

Central Private opened the second quarter with a Syrshawn Fitch offensive rebound and put back and after Prep’s Ryan Buchanan answered with an 18 foot jumper the Rebels would grab their first lead of the game.

Fitch dished up an assist to Liam Thomas in the paint and at the 5:01 mark Simpson Anderson drained a long 3-pointer from the wing to give Central Private their first lead at 21-19.

The Rebel lead was short-lived as Prep answered with a Cade Noble 3-pointer and a Josh Williams hard drive to the bucket to give Prep a 24-21 lead with 3:57 remaining in the half.

Simpson Anderson drilled a 3-pointer from the wing to tie the game at 24-24 but this would be the last tie of the evening but more alarming for Central Private was 6’10” center Liam Thomas picking up his third foul with 2:48 left in the half.

Jackson Prep produced a 10-2 run over the remaining 2:48 of the half which was capped with the Josh Williams highlight reel alley-oop slam to give the Patriots a 35-26 lead at intermission.

Central Private watched the deficit swell to fifteen points just over one minute into the third quarter as Cade Noble and Ryan Buchanan hit 3-pointers on the Patriot’s first two possessions but Jackson Prep would soon endure something they haven’t done all season, get dominated in the second half.

Richard Baird’s tip in at the 3:52 mark gave Jackson Prep a 45-31 lead and with the final quarter just on the horizon the A.E. Wood Coliseum crowd seemed predisposed to what the outcome would be.

After the final 3:52 had expired in the third quarter the crowd had moved to the edges of their seats.   

Thomas Kelly hit a critical 3-pointer from the wing to give Central Private a much needed basket and after Prep answered with a Wic Smith baseline driving lay-in the Rebels would control the rest of the quarter.

Simpson Anderson scored off a transition basket and followed that lay-in with one from close range to pull the Rebels to within single digits at 47-38.

Following a Jackson Prep turnover Liam Thomas scored off an offensive rebound and a Simpson Anderson offensive rebound slam dunk at the 1:24 mark brought the Rebels to within five points at 47-42 and ignited the Rebel faithful.

Syrshawn Fitch’s fast break basket made it 47-44 with just over a minute left but Prep seemed to have weathered the storm as Richard Baird’s offensive rebound and lay-in gave the Patriots a little breathing room at 49-44 with 43 seconds left in the quarter.

That breathing room was quickly suffocating as Simpson Anderson drained a long 3-pointer from the wing at the buzzer to get Central Private within two points at 49-47, the closest since 3:16 of the second quarter.

Central Private finished the quarter with a 16-4 run and after losing the turnover battle in the first two quarters of play the Rebels would win that battle in the third.

The final eight minutes of play started with a Josh Williams jumper from 17 feet but was answered by Central Private as Simpson Anderson hit a 3-pointer to pull the Rebels to within a point at 51-50 and provide those in attendance with a sneak peek of what was to come.

Each team swapped a free throw and with 5:38 remaining in regulation Jackson Prep was clinging to a 52-51 advantage.

That would be Prep’s last lead of the game and the Patriots would uncharacteristically continue to lose the turnover battle in the second half and for a brief moment their composure.

A technical foul on Jackson Prep senior Josh Williams at the 5:26 mark would result in two Jaydyn Cohen free throws to give Central Private their first lead since 5:01 of the second quarter.

Cohen followed with two more free throws to give the Rebels a 55-52 lead but with 4:28 left in the game Simpson Anderson did the unthinkable.

The 6’3” senior pulled up from 30 feet and launched a straightaway 3-pointer that produced a collective gasp from the crowd but more importantly stretched the Central Private lead to 58-52.

Anderson made Prep pay with a steal and lay-in to give the Rebels their biggest lead at 60-52 but with 3:19 remaining Jackson Prep still had life.

A Josh Williams driving lay-in would give the Patriots their first points since the 6:07 mark and after two Liam Thomas free throws pushed the Rebel lead back to 62-54 Prep made their move.

Ryan Buchanan scored in the paint with 2:31 remaining and Josh Williams would do the same at the 1:59 mark to get Prep to within four points at 62-58 but Central Private would answer each Patriot score with one of their own down the stretch.

Jaydyn Cohen would slip backdoor to score and after Prep’s Josh Williams hit one of two free throws Cohen served up an assist to Thomas Kelly who had slipped behind the Patriot defense to extend the Rebel lead to seven points at 66-59 with just over one minute to play.

Ryan Buchanan hit from 17 feet and Prep immediately called time-out with 49 seconds left.

Jackson Prep quickly fouled Jaydyn Cohen but the senior point guard canned both free throws to push the lead back to seven points at 68-61.

Prep wasn’t ready to fold as Wirt Dunbar hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 68-64 with 36 seconds to go but Central Private would go 6/8 from the free throw line down the stretch to earn a 74-67 win.

In the win Central Private guard Simpson Anderson made a strong case for player of the year as the senior did what he had done all season in big games, deliver.

The senior scored a game high 36 points, 20 in the second half, and went 12/19 from the field including 6/13 from the 3-point line.

Jaydyn Cohen added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Syrshawn Fitch had 11 points, Liam Thomas scored 10 points along with 8 rebounds and 8 blocked shots and Thomas Kelly had 5 points.

Central Private (29-4) went 17/20 from the free throw line.

Jackson Prep (35-4) was led by Josh Williams with 23 points, Ryan Buchanan and Richard Baird added 11 each, Gene Wood 8, Wirt Dunbar and Cade Noble 6 apiece and Wic Smith 2.

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Post Game with Central Private Head Coach Henry Gantz

Post Game with Central Private senior Simpson Anderson

Post Game with Central Private senior Liam Thomas

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Central Private School - 2013 MAIS Overall Champions