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Post 45 Hunter Atkins swings in June2023 v Cleveland County

Post 45 blasts off, keeps season going in Southeast Regional

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Hunter Atkins, above, and several of his Randolph County Post 45 teammates had strong offensive games in Friday’s Southeast Regional game. (Randolph Record file photo)

ASHEBORO – Hunter Atkins drove in three runs and six of his Randolph County Post 45 teammates racked up two runs batted in a 17-1 whipping of Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9 in Friday afternoon’s elimination game of the Southeast Regional at McCrary Park.

The American Legion baseball game ended after five innings. Post 45 (25-7) scored in every inning, including seven runs in the top of the fifth.

For the second year in a row, Randolph County has advanced to the second-to-last day of the regional. It will be one of four remaining teams when Saturday’s action begins at 4:30 p.m.

Tanner Marsh, Tyler Parks, Josh Meadows, Connor Adams, Carson Whitehead and Pierce Leonard all knocked in two runs. Adams had three of Randolph County’s 10 hits and he also scored three runs. Marsh rapped two doubles.

Post 45 drew six walks and had six batters hit by pitches.

Braxton Walker pitched the first four innings and Drew Harmon threw in the fifth for Post 45.

Owensboro finished with a 21-12 record.

The Randolph County / Owensboro game was the first of three games on Friday’s schedule. Post 45’s opponent Saturday will be the loser of Friday’s nightcap between Florence (S.C.) Post 1 and West End (Va.) Post 361.

Post 45 Pierce Leonard fielding July2023

Leonard takes baseball path with Post 45; Southeast Regional set to begin in Asheboro

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 Second baseman Pierce Leonard of Randolph County Post 45 makes a play in the field earlier this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – Pierce Leonard is a first-year member of the Randolph County Post 45 baseball team. There’s a reason that he pursued American Legion baseball this summer.

Having finished his final high school year at Eastern Randolph after transferring from Uwharrie Charter Academy, Leonard chose baseball as a preference in terms of a sport to play in college.

“I figured I could go farther with baseball than I could basketball,” Leonard said.

He said he’ll play baseball at Guilford Tech.

But first, Leonard will be part of the Post 45 team aiming for a resurgence in this week’s Southeast Regional at McCrary Park. Games begin Wednesday.

Leonard, who was a defensive back in football, was one of the standouts in Eastern Randolph’s key players during a record-setting basketball season that extended into March in the Class 1-A championship game.

Days later, he was on the baseball field for the Wildcats.

“I hadn’t played baseball since my freshman year,” Leonard said. “I feel baseball is natural to me. I’m just loose up there.”

Leonard, after fouling a ball off his shin, was out for most of the recent Post 45 postseason games. Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh said Monday that Leonard was pretty much at full speed at a weekend practice in advance of the regional.

“He should be good to go,” Pugh said.

Post 45 holds a 23-6 record, with four of those losses coming to Rowan County and the other two to High Point-Thomasville. Randolph’s spot in the regional was secured because of an automatic bid reserved for the host team.

When Post 45 failed to advance to the Area 3 finals, it meant the team would have more than a two-week layoff before the Southeast Regional.

Post 45 has numerous players with experience from last year’s regional. Among those are lineup regulars Tanner Marsh, Braylen Hayes, Tyler Parks and Josh Meadows plus Alex Martinez and Robert Garner.

Martinez, a catcher and utility player, is with Post 45 after a season with Brunswick Community College. He didn’t play much in the spring, in part because he was behind Tatum Marsh, a former high school teammate at Asheboro and ex-Post 45 mate. 

Checking the regional …

The five-day regional includes teams from seven states. It’s a double-elimination format.

There are four games the first two days and then three games Friday, two more Saturday and one or two games Sunday.

Post 45 will play the nightcap each day if it’s in the winner’s bracket. Randolph County opens Wednesday against Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19. That game is set for 7:30 p.m.

Other first-day games are Evans (Ga.) Post 192 vs. Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9 at 9:30 a.m.; Belleview (Fla.) Post 284 vs. West End (Va.) Post 361 at 12:30 p.m.; and Florence (S.C.) Post 1 vs. Fuquay-Varina Post 116.

Belleview, Evans, Owensboro and Columbia all played in the regional last year at McCrary Park. Post 45’s only game against any of those teams came with an eight-inning victory against Evans on the second day in a winner’s bracket game, but Randolph County lost its next two games and was eliminated.

Fuquay-Varina won the North Carolina state tournament, topping Wayne County Post 11 in Saturday’s final in Buies Creek.

The regional winner advances to the American Legion World Series next week in Shelby.

Post 45 Grat Dalton out at plate v Cleveland County June2023

Post 45 makes most of home action

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Randolph County Post 45’s Grat Dalton reaches for the plate but is tagged out by Cleveland County Post 82 catcher Hagan Hoyle. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

ASHEBORO – Randolph County Post 45 won all three games it completed in its first games this year at McCrary Park in Asheboro.

The weekend victories against three different opponents pushed Post 45’s record to 14-1.

With stadium renovations incomplete, the Randolph County team played road games or at Randleman High School in the first few weeks of the season. Then games early last week were rained out.

The three-day event at McCrary Park began with a game with Morgantown (W.Va.) Post 2 suspended by lightning Friday night with Post 45 up 4-0 in the third inning. The game ended up being cancelled.

Post 45 defeated Cleveland County Post 82 by 4-1 with Samuel Asbill logging six innings and Tanner Marsh finishing on the mound in Saturday’s first game. Marsh doubled twice and drove in two runs.

The dramatics came against St. Mary’s (Md.) Post 255 on Saturday night. Braylen Hayes hit a game-winning three-run home run to complete a comeback to lift Post 45 to a 7-4 victory.

Post 45 rallied from a 4-1 deficit. The four-run seventh included Hunter Atkins driving in the tying run. Robert Garner was the winning pitcher with three innings of no-hit relief.

On Sunday, Hayes knocked in three runs in a 14-5 triumph against Morgantown. Connor Adams was the winning pitcher. Hayes, Marsh, Atkins, Pierce Leonard and Josh Meadows were all credited with two hits.

Post 45 Pierce Leonard batting spring2023

Returnees help Post 45 hit early groove

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Pierce Leonard takes a swing for Randolph County Post 45. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Randolph County Post 45 has been off a strong start to the American Legion baseball season.

The team has a good core of returning players who’ve produced across the first couple of weeks of the season.

Post 45 had a 7-1 record – capped with a 5-4 victory at Davidson County last week – before a five-day break in the schedule. The team is slated to be back in action this week.

The lone loss came by a 3-2 score at Rowan County. Twelve days later, Post 45 avenged the loss with a 10-5 home victory.

Tyler Parks drove in four runs in that triumph, while Ethan Frye and Braylen Hayes homered. Samuel Asbill was the winning pitcher.

Parks, Hayes, Tanner Marsh, Adam Cole, Josh Meadows, Drew Harmon, Connor Adams, Alex Martinez and Robert Garner are returnees from the 2022 team who’ve been key contributors this season.

Hayes homered twice as part of an 8-RBI night and Marsh scored four runs in a home romp past Davidson County. Meadows homered in a game at Mocksville-Davie County.

Cole won’t be with the team much longer as he reports for classes this month at East Carolina, where he’ll join the football program. Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said he welcomed Cole’s participation this spring even though he knew it would be on a short-term basis.

Outfielder Carter Brown, since helping Uwharrie Charter Academy to a Class 1-A state championship, has been produced upon joining Post 45. He drove in three runs in the Rowan County and Davidson County games.

Pitcher Drake Purvis, who was coming off surgery and didn’t pitch until late in the high school season for Randleman, has been a boost to the pitching staff along with high school teammate Austin Lemons.

Other Post 45 newcomers include former Randleman standout Hunter Atkins plus Ethan Frye and Pierce Leonard from Eastern Randolph’s team.

Because of delayed completion of renovations at McCrary Park in Asheboro, Post 45 has played home games at Randleman High School. The team has practiced at McCrary Park and should be playing games there by the end of next week. Last Wednesday’s home game against Mooresville was cancelled because of weather-related concerns.

UCA baseball after winning regional at ER

UCA Eagles sweep Eastern Randolph in regional finals

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UCA team members gather after winning the Class 1-A West Region title.

Clutch late-inning work boosts UCA’s baseball team

RAMSEUR – It was pretty much a matter of Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team making the best of tough situations Thursday night.

By doing so, the Eagles are heading to where they want to go.

UCA completed a Class 1-A West Regional finals sweep of Eastern Randolph by winning 8-1 in Game 2, scoring all their runs in the last two innings.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” UCA senior Ben Medinger said of the chance to play for a state title.

The Eagles (20-10) will play in the state championship series against North Moore or Voyager Academy on June 2-3 in either Burlington or Holly Springs. Game 2 of the East Region finals is set for Friday night, with a possible Game 3 on Saturday.

After a tense series with Eastern Randolph, the Eagles will have a few days to relax. UCA and Eastern Randolph are the Piedmont Athletic Conference’s only Class 1-A teams, and they made it through the bracket for this showdown.

“We just kind of ran out of steam,” Eastern Randolph coach Brent Haynes said.

UCA is now 4-0 vs. the Wildcats (8-19) this season, but it was far from easy.

Eastern Randolph pitcher Stratton Barwick blanked the second-seeded Eagles across the first five innings. UCA coach Rob Shore said the Eagles had trouble solving Barwick, a left-hander, during a 4-3, 10-inning victory more than a month earlier during the regular season.

Meanwhile, UCA had freshman pitcher Jake Hunter up to the task on the mound, though it was taxing for several reasons.

“I haven’t gone seven too often,” he said of the complete game.

There were concerns about him making it that far after he absorbed a line drive off Barwick’s bat for what became the last out of the fifth inning. The liner pelted Hunter in the stomach – and he had a sizable reminder imprinted on his midsection afterward.

Hunter keeled over, while second baseman Troy Carver retrieved the ball and recorded the out with a throw to first.

“It hurt in the beginning,” Hunter said.

“I think it scared him more than anything,” Shore said.

At the time, the Eagles trailed 1-0. They went ahead in the top of the sixth.

Grat Dalton’s one-out single brought in the tying run. Walker Wilkins’ sacrifice fly put UCA ahead.

In the bottom of the inning, No. 21 seed Eastern Randolph put a couple of runners on base without a hit with one out. Hunter responded with two strikeouts to thwart the threat.

In UCA’s six-run seventh, all the scoring came with two outs.

“We showed (relentlessness) with every one of those coming with two outs,” Carver said.

Carver’s two-out single began the scoring outburst. Medinger drove in the next two runs with his first triple of the season. The Eagles piled on more runs courtesy of some fielding blunders and Caleb Stickle’s two-run single.

“We put them up when we needed it,” UCA right fielder Carter Brown said of the runs.

That marked the end of Barwick’s pitching.

Hunter ended up with a three-hitter.

“Jake absolutely shoved,” Carver said.

Throughout the game, the good thing for Hunter was that he had third baseman Landen Zephir making a variety of defensive plays on his behalf. Those were among the reasons that potential Eastern Randolph threats were doused.

“We just could not get that hit,” Haynes said.

The Eagles achieved what they sought in their first road game of the playoffs. It was capped by a typical on-field celebration.

For Brown, a junior, the setting had significance.

“It meant 10 times more to me because this is my home (district),” he said of playing on Eastern Randolph’s field.

Eastern Randolph senior Pierce Leonard was on the flip side. He’s a transfer from UCA. Leonard scored the Wildcats’ only run.

Eastern Randolph doubled its win total during the state playoffs in Haynes’ first season.

“Guys knew they were better than a 4-17 record,” he said. “We just started finishing games. That kind of came back and got us (in this series).”

The Eagles scored nine of their 12 runs in the series in the sixth or seventh innings.

“We were a couple of outs away from being in a state championship,” Haynes said.

UCA also eliminated the Wildcats last year, though that came in a third-round clash.

In Tuesday night’s Game 1 at UCA, the Eagles broke a tie in the sixth inning for a 4-3 victory with Brett Smith and Logun Wilkins providing the pitching. Brown scored two runs and Carver rapped a triple.

Eastern Randolph held a 3-1 lead after posting three runs in the second inning with Alex Kivett’s run-producing double one of the big blows. Samuel Asbill pitched a complete game for the Wildcats.

ER baseball K Graham makes tag v N Moore April2023

Prep Baseball: Randleman rolls up wins in South Carolina; County teams split in Classic

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Eastern Randolph’s Kahlin Graham reaches to make a tag on North Moore’s Austin Patterson during a game in the ZooKeepers Classic last week at Southwestern Randolph. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Randleman’s baseball team went to the Mingo Bay Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and came away with a 4-0 mark in the event during spring break.

It began with a 4-3 victory against Woodson, Va., as Caleb Dunn drove in two runs in a four-run first inning.

The Tigers rode Seth Way’s bat and arm in a 9-3 victory against Robinson, Va. Way worked six innings on the mound, while he drilled a three-run home run and a double on his way to five runs batted in.

Austin Lemons threw a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts in an 8-1 romp past Buckhannon-Upshur, W. Va. Hunter Atkins had three hits, including a double and triple.

Then came a 4-1 victory against University out of Morgantown, W. Va., as Braxton Walker logged six innings in his first pitching start. Atkins tripled and drove in two runs.

Split decisions

The four Randolph County teams in the ZooKeepers Classic at Southwestern Randolph all split two games last week. The final day of competition in the event, which had pre-determined matchups, was wiped out by Friday’s rain.

Eastern Randolph got off to a good start by defeating North Moore 13-5 with Pierce Leonard providing two triples and four runs batted in. Apex Friendship defeated the Wildcats 11-1/

Southwestern Randolph fell 12-10 to Chapel Hill despite Eli Gravely’s home run. The Cougars then held off North Moore for a 10-9 victory as Kamden Carter drove in three runs.

Providence Grove lost 10-0 to Apex Friendship before pounding Jordan-Matthews 13-0.

Wheatmore began with a 9-0 whipping of Jordan-Matthews. But the Warriors fell short in a 6-4 loss to Chapel Hill.

Asheboro falls twice

In the Mid-Piedmont Conference, Asheboro lost by 7-2 at home and 8-3 on the road to North Davidson. Tanner Marsh homered in the home game for the Blue Comets.

This week, the Blue Comets are slated for games Wednesday through Friday as part of a tournament at First National Bank Field, which is home to the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

ER boys West final on cour celebration

Huge comeback propels Eastern Randolph boys to state final

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Eastern Randolph team members and coach Johnny Thomas – with arms raised – celebrate the Class 1-A West Region title. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

MORGANTON – Eastern Randolph rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to keep its season alive and advance to a state championship in boys’ basketball for the first time.

The Wildcats pulled out a 62-59 victory against Bishop McGuinness in the Class 1-A West Region final Saturday afternoon at Freedom High School.

“As the coach, even I’m at awe at what they just did,” first-year Eastern Randolph coach Johnny Thomas said of his players.

Eastern Randolph’s Pierce Leonard goes up for a shot in front of Jamison Graves of Bishop McGuinness. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Eastern Randolph (29-2) will face Wilson Prep (26-7), a 63-57 winner against Bertie in the East Region final, next Saturday for the state championship in either Chapel Hill or Raleigh.

Fourth-seeded Bishop McGuinness led 41-20 at halftime before the third-seeded Wildcats stormed back. Eastern Randolph scored the first 13 points of the second half and was within 49-43 going to the fourth quarter.

“We ain’t going to lose here,” senior guard Pierce Leonard said. “We’re too close to it. We traveled three hours to get up here. We weren’t trying to go home like that.”

Leonard scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half.

Eastern Randolph had never been as far as the regional semifinals until this year, but it look bleak midway through the regional final.

At halftime, Thomas had a message about trying to extend the team’s record-breaking postseason: “We’ve already made history. Now we’ve got to do it again.”

The Villains (25-6) took three potential tying shots on the last possession and missed them all. Long forgotten was their 11-0 lead to start the game.

Timothy Brower had 13 points and Nicah Taylor posted 11 points for Eastern Randolph, which won its 10th game in a row.

And it was the Wildcats’ second second-half comeback of the week after winning the regional semifinal Tuesday night at South Stokes.

“I wasn’t really feeling any pressure because we still had plenty of time when they did foul out,” Leonard said. “Our bench players just had to really step up and do their part in the game.”

Eastern Randolph’s Nicah Taylor makes a steal in front of Bishop McGuinness guard Andrew Schrage. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Three Eastern Randolph fouled out, including team scoring leader Davonte Brooks and reserve center Jani Norwood in the third quarter. Brooks had two points.

“With me in there, it would have made it a little bit easier,” Brooks said. “But my boys pulled through, came through with a ‘W’ my senior year. Now we’re going to the ‘ship.”

Brooks said the Wildcats, who were 6-for-8 on second-half 3-point attempts, remained motivated even as the challenge heightened throughout the first half.

“We just don’t want to lose,” Brooks said. “That’s what really jump-starts it.”

Leonard’s 3-pointer gave Eastern Randolph its first lead of the game at 54-51.

Thomas said without much of a basketball tradition, Eastern Randolph needed to overcome all sorts of obstacles against a Bishop McGuinness program that has played on similar stages in the past.

“They’ve been in this situation way more than we have,” he said.

Jamison Graves scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half for Bishop McGuinness, which shot 11-for-25 on free throws.

ER boys postgame video at South Stokes

Prep basketball: Eastern Randolph boys keep season going, win regional semi on road

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Coach Johnny Thomas makes a postgame video with his Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball team after winning the Class 1-A West Region semifinal at South Stokes. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

WALNUT COVE – Pierce Leonard scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Eastern Randolph rallied past South Stokes to continue its best postseason in program history.

The Wildcats put together a strong second half to pull out the Class 1-A West Region semifinal, winning 74-71 on Tuesday night.

“I told them, ‘I am proud of you. We’ve had a long season, but this is not it,’ ” first-year Eastern Randolph coach Johnny Thomas said.

Devonte Brooks scored 15 points despite foul trouble, Timothy Brower posted 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Nicah Taylor finished with 11 points in Eastern Randolph’s first road game of the postseason.

“The whole season we have built a foundation where we can play with or without Devonte,” Thomas said.

The Wildcats made enough plays down the stretch. The Sauras missed three potential tying 3-point shots in the final 12 seconds.

Eastern Randolph’s Pierce Leonard makes a steal on Brendon Bradford of South Stokes during Tuesday night’s Class 1-A West Region semifinal. Eastern Randolph’s Timothy Brower, left, and Davonte Brooks also apply defensive pressure. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Third-seeded Eastern Randolph (28-2) meets fourth-seeded Bishop McGuinness (25-5), which eliminated top-seeded Mountain Heritage 58-54, on Saturday at a to-be-determined neutral site.

South Stokes (25-5) led 45-36 at halftime.

“It was just a simple adjustment of pride,” Thomas said.

Barry Hairston poured in 23 points for the Sauras.

Bertie (26-4) and Wilson Prep (25-7) will meet in the East Region final.

Girls’ basketball

At Randleman, top-seeded Randleman dropped a 49-42 decision to visiting East Burke in the Class 2-A West Region semifinals.

Gracyn Hall scored 12 points for Randleman (27-2), which led 24-21 at halftime before trailing 33-29 entering the fourth quarter.

With the Tigers facing a 42-40 deficit, East Burke posted the next five points.

Randleman’s Elizabeth York and Audra Petty both notched nine points.

Fifth-seeded East Burke (27-2) takes on third-seeded Salisbury (25-3) in the regional final.

Asheboro boys Hakeeme Butler v G Smith Feb 2023

Prep boys: Special season ends on downer for Blue Comets; Eastern Randolph advances

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Hakeeme Butler tries to get Asheboro on the board in the first quarter of Thursday night’s loss to Greensboro Smith in the Class 3-A state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – Asheboro’s special season in boys’ basketball didn’t come to a fitting conclusion.

That’s what made losing so hard to grasp for the Blue Comets.

Ambushed from the start by Greensboro Smith, Asheboro couldn’t sustain any of its rallies long enough in a 73-46 loss in the second round of the Class 3-A state playoffs Thursday night at raucous Asheboro Recreation Center.

“That’s the thing about this team, we all really care for each other,” senior guard D.J. Headen said. “We’re a really close group.”

So it was a teary-eyed departure for many of the players.

The accomplishments have been notable for the Blue Comets, who made it to the second round for the first time since 2017 and recorded the program’s first 20-win season in seven years.

They’ve done this amid unprecedented circumstances, coming out of a pandemic and then displayed from their home on-campus gym for two seasons.

“To win a conference championship, to win 20 games doing this,” coach Brian Nance said, referring to challenges of irregular practice times and other logistical snags. “It’s really kind of a little bit unbelievable to a point. For what these kids have been through for two years, but really the senior class for four years.”

Then in what became its final game of the season, seventh-seeded Asheboro (20-6) ran into 10th-seeded Greensboro Smith (26-3), which bolted to leads of 11-0 and 20-2 in the West Region game.

“We just came out slow to start,” senior Hakeeme Butler said. “The turnovers killed us.”

The Blue Comets later closed the gap to 24-16, but their deficit grew to 43-25 at halftime. The Golden Eagles began the second half on a 13-0 run, though Asheboro answered by notching the final nine points of the quarter.

“We kept trying to attack them at different angles,” Headen said.

“We just got punched in the face early, that big run,” Nance said. “They took it to us a little bit and we didn’t respond very good early on. Made some good runs.”

Butler’s 20 points and Camden Walker’s 17 points paced Asheboro.

The Blue Comets went 10-0 in regular-season play in the Mid-Piedmont Conference for one of their accomplishments. Headen said he hopes the team is considered one of the best in school history.

“A great season,” Butler said. “We’ve all been together for this. I’m proud of my boys.”

Nance, a veteran coach, had a similar reaction. This was the second season – and ideally the final season – that Asheboro plays home games downtown as renovations take place on campus. Gym capacity was reached and some fans were turned away for the state-playoff game.

“The kids put the time in and bought in to what we’ve tried to do and we couldn’t be more proud of them,” Nance said. “They believed in what they were doing. We just ran into a better basketball team.”

Class 2-A

At Reidsville, undefeated Reidsville pulled away for an 81-66 victory.

Trinity (21-8) trailed 37-33 points at halftime but couldn’t keep up. The Rams (23-0) benefitted from a 28-11 third-quarter advantage.

Class 1-A

At Ramseur, Pierce Leonard scored 20 points and third-seeded Eastern Randolph rolled past 14th-seeded Avery County 75-60.

On Saturday, the Wildcats (26-2) play host to sixth-seeded Robbinsville (23-5), which in the playoffs has won 46-45 vs. Mountain Island Charter and 51-49 vs. Swain County.

Eastern Randolph went up 42-24 by halftime against Avery County (18-10).

Davonte Brooks posted 18 points and Timothy Brower had 16 points for the Wildcats.

ER boys Timothy Brower v Trinity PAC T Feb2023

Wildcats capture another prize, top Trinity boys in PAC final

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Eastern Randolph’s Timothy Brower goes up for a basket as Trinity’s Jacob Hodges, right, defends. Other Trinity players, left to right, Brandon Campbell, Grayson Earls, Dylan Hodges and Dominic Payne look on. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RAMSEUR – Timothy Brower was down on the court in pain in the first quarter of the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament’s boys’ basketball championship.

The Eastern Randolph guard delivered much of the punishment for the rest of Friday night’s game.

Brower’s 28 points helped propel the regular-season champion Wildcats in a 74-64 victory against visiting Trinity that marked their first conference tournament title in seven years.

Brower said he sensed his tumble was pleasing to the opposing team’s fans.

“It kind of hit me,” he said. “That turned something on inside me.”

The Wildcats sure know how to turn it on, and even though a 17-point lead shrunk to two points in the fourth quarter they had what it took to turn away third-seeded Trinity.

It’s the winningest season in program history for Eastern Randolph (24-2).

“I knew we were going to have a good season, but I didn’t think it would be like this,” said senior guard Pierce Leonard, a transfer from Uwharrie Charter Academy.

The latest example from the Wildcats might have been fitting.

“It was how our boys persevered,” first-year coach Johnny Thomas said. “We’re not only showing people that we can be a fast team, we’re showing people that we can be a smart team. We can play half-court basketball and in the process of playing half-court basketball, we can get the job done.

“We allowed ourselves to stay positive and stay motivated. So the highlight for me is walking away with not only the (regular-season) championship, but the tournament championship.”

Eastern Randolph’s Davonte Brooks, despite not feeling well at times, racked up 20 points and Connor Carter’s 12 points came on four 3-point baskets.

“They run their system well,” Trinity coach Tim Kelly said. “They have so many different weapons. They’re the best team in our league.”

Brower, a sophomore, nearly doubled his season average of 14.9 points per game.

“I knew whoever was guarding me couldn’t guard me,” Brower said, dealing with what he described as a hyperextended knee.

“He got everywhere he wanted to get to,” Thomas said of Brower.

Despite now tripling last season’s eight-win total, this title game was far from automatic.

“We just couldn’t close out,” Kelly said of rallies that faded.

Dominic Payne racked up 25 points, Dylan Hodges had 15 of his 19 points in the first half and Brandon Campbell tallied 12 points for Trinity (20-7).

Eastern Randolph ended the first quarter on a 20-3 stretch and extended its lead to 30-13 by scoring the first five points of the second quarter. Trinity’s 14-1 run changed the game’s complexion.

The Wildcats’ 38-31 halftime edge grew again as Brower put together a stellar third quarter. Trinity ended up in the bonus early in the second half, but the Bulldogs also encountered foul trouble as Campbell and Hodges picked up their fourth fouls with more than seven minutes to play.

Still, Trinity shook off a 12-point hole, with Payne’s three-point play and his baseline jumper cutting the deficit to 59-57. The Bulldogs had a possession with a chance to tie or go ahead.

The next points came from Brooks on a putback of his own missed shot, then Brower drained a 14-foot jump before Carter’s 3 made it 66-59 with less than two minutes left.

“It felt awesome because no one thought we could do it,” Brower said.

The final score might have been closer, but Kelly didn’t want his team to back off.

“Why do that?” Kelly said. “Give yourself a chance to win.”

Leonard ended up on the PAC Tournament title-winning team for the second year in a row.

“I do what I got to do to allow us to win,” he said.

It was the first time either team had reached a conference tournament final since 2016. Eastern Randolph also won that matchup.

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