INMAN, S.C. – On Tuesday night, the math was simple for the Chapman boys’ basketball team – win and clinch the region championship.
It was a roller coaster contest that featured a couple of late lead changes. Fittingly, it was a senior, Gavin Humphries, who helped the Panthers outlast the Broome Centurions 71-66 and secure the Region III-3A championship. This makes three straight region championships for Chapman, a feat that hasn’t occurred since 1963-1965, when Fred Fraley was at the helm for the Panthers. “I think this shows where our program is at,” Chapman head coach Greg Wilson said. “We’ve got good kids. They work really, really hard. They’ve invested their time, believe in what we’re doing, and all those things play a role in the fact that we’ve been successful.” Entering the final stanza, the Panthers held a 57-50 lead after a pair of three pointers, one each from seniors Gavin Humphries and Banks Atkins. Not long after that, the Centurions mounted a charge. Broome hit a three in consecutive trips down the floor, making it a 57-56 contest with 5:52 remaining. After a timeout, the Centurions earned a pair of trips to the charity stripe, knocking down two of four attempts for a one point lead, 58-57. With less than three minutes left in regulation, Broome guard Dylan Ramirez hit a runner from the left elbow, only to be answered by a timely Gavin Humphries triple from the right wing on Chapman’s next trip down the floor, putting the Panthers ahead 64-62. “This means a lot,” Humphries stated. “It’s really a big deal for our team and our community. It’s great to be part of this. We knew we didn’t play well the first time against Broome, so we had to come back strong this time around.” Chapman (15-7, 8-2 Region III-3A) put the game away at the free throw line, as junior Miles Carter hit three of his last four attempts down the stretch, giving the Panthers a two possession lead with less than 10 seconds to go. “It was hard fought,” Wilson added. “(Our team) showed a lot of resiliency as the game swung a couple of times late... I’m just proud of our guys – three straight region titles, five straight playoff appearances, and five straight winning seasons. All of that is a credit to the guys that played before them and the guys that are here now.” Gavin Humphries paced the Panthers with a team-high 21 points. Miles Carter also finished in double figures with 16 points, along with nine points apiece from Colby Garner and Taygan Ray. Dylan Ramirez notched a game-high 24 points for Broome. GIRLS – Chapman 57, Broome 50 The Region III-3A schedule on Tuesday provided a little clarity in regards to possible playoff scenarios, but for the Lady Panthers, their top priority was the first of two games this week against Broome. With under six minutes left in the second quarter, Broome took their first lead of the game, 15-14. Not long after that, a pair of Clara Gramling free throws uncorked a 17-0 run for the Lady Panthers, which put them ahead 31-15 with less than a minute to play before intermission. “At this point in the year, we know that everyone’s trying to push their season into the playoffs,” Lady Panthers head coach Leslie Boyd said. “This was one win that we had to get in order to hopefully reach our goals for postseason play. We talk about the different options because I want (our team) to know what the possibilities are. At the end of the day, we focus on the game in front of us.” Chapman used a quick 6-0 burst to build a 46-31 lead heading into the final stanza. Senior Asia Anderson threw a strong bounce pass to fellow senior LaiLonie Terrell, who finished strong at the basket and converted it into a three point play the Naismith way for a 53-39 lead with 4:31 left in the contest. Asia Anderson led the way with a game-high 32 points for Chapman, which gives her consecutive 30+ point games (33 points last Friday at Union County). Clara Gramling also finished in double figures for the Lady Panthers with 10 points. Chapman (6-3 Region III-3A) will make the trip over to Broome High School on Thursday night. The game will begin at 7 PM. -Justin Mathis Comments are closed.
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