Patriots go to state

As positives go, Arts & Sciences coach Mark Dragoo at least enters next week's high school boys' state basketball tournament knowing he is taking a team that has faced and conquered adversity.

The Patriots advanced to the Class A state with a 63-54 victory over Red Boiling Springs on Monday, but they were behind most of the night and their leading scorer was on the bench for more than half the game.

Alex Stallion, who picked up two fouls early, played barely more than 14 of the 32 minutes but finished with a game-high 18 points -- 12 in a frenzied fourth quarter.

The pregame consensus was that the Patriots subs might get to play a lot -- and that they might be so far ahead as to force a running clock before the game was over.

"This wasn't our A, B, C or even D game, and (the Bulldogs) probably played their best game," Dragoo said. "When you're playing on the road, you have a chance to get the guys away from distractions and get them focused. We had never played a home (sectional) game. The guys were told all day long they were going to the state, and they listened too much.

"There was a lack of focus, but this is a young bunch. We had no seniors on the floor until the final few seconds."

Stallion spent much of his time with Dragoo and the reserves.

"I hadn't sat on the bench that much since the first two games of the season," he said. "It's hard to stay in the game when your team is down and you know you could help if you were out there."

Though distraught having to watch the visiting Bulldogs control the scoreboard and the tempo for much of the game, he was well-rested when he got back on the floor in the final period.

"He's like Reggie Jackson (Mr. October, New York Yankees)," Dragoo said. "We kept telling him to keep his head in the game, and to his credit he did that."

The Patriots hit just three 3-pointers, and two of those were Stallion's.

CSAS needed them. After taking a 4-0 lead, the Patriots were down 15-14 after the first quarter and 27-22 at halftime. In the third period there were three ties and four lead changes, but the Bulldogs held a 40-38 lead.

There were seven lead changes in the fourth quarter before a Stallion bucket -- with slightly less than three minutes left -- and a free throw moments later put the Patriots up to stay, 56-53. Brandon Woodruff extended the edge to 62-54 with a pair of free throws and two layups.

With Stallion on the bench most of the night, CSAS had to lean heavily on post player Jackson Lenoir.

"He was strong all night with his defense, rebounding and scoring," Dragoo said.

Lenoir finished with 15 points, including 9-of-10 free-throw shooting.

"Getting to the state has been our goal all year long," Lenoir said. "We knew this was our last home game and our first substate to play at home. It took us a while to get loose. Alex is a great player, but we had some guys who stepped up, and when he came back in, he came through."

ARTS & SCIENCES 63, RED BOILING SPRINGS 54

Red Boiling 15 12 13 14 -- 54

CSAS 14 8 16 25 -- 63

Red Boiling Springs (54) -- Wes Grace 16, Jake Stiles 15, Grace 2, Mullinex 2, Shelton Watson 13, Meadows, Washington, Francis 1.

Arts & Sciences (63) -- Brogden 7, Woodruff 7, Baldwin, Alex Stallion 18, Malilk Dodds 11, Crenshaw, Bowens, Kurtz, Cobb 2, Ball 4, Austin 2, Jackson Lenoir 15.

3-point goals: CSAS 3 (Washington 2, Dodds); Red Boiling none. Records: CSAS 26-7; Red Boiling Springs 22-13.