STATE-MENT: Led by McWilliams, Cephus, Academy sinks unbeaten East Chambers 68-58 to earn state trip

NET PROCEEDS: Academy head coach James Holt celebrates with his players after cutting down the net following the Bumblebees' 68-58 win over previously unbeaten Winnie East Chambers in the Class 3A Region III championship game Saturday afternoon in Madisonville. Jaylin McWilliams poured in 26 points and fellow senior Jerry Cephus scored 19 as No. 16-ranked Academy (22-7) recorded its 15th straight win, eliminated the No. 11 Buccaneers (27-1) and advanced to a state semifinal against No. 5 San Antonio Cole (25-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hays High School in Buda. (Photo by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

By GREG WILLE

TempleBeltonSports.com

gwille2@hot.rr.com

MADISONVILLE – After Academy's boys basketball team needed two overtime periods to defeat seventh-ranked New Waverly 70-69 in an exhausting Class 3A Region III semifinal Friday night, the burning question was this: How much physical and mental energy would the Bumblebees be able to summon for Saturday afternoon's quick-turnaround regional final against unbeaten Winnie East Chambers?

The resounding answer: Plenty.

The well-earned reward: A regional championship and Academy's first trip to the state semifinals since it won the 2002 state title.

Jaylin McWilliams pumped in a game-best 26 points and fellow senior Jerry Cephus scored 19 for the fast-starting No. 16 Bees, who showed their resiliency by handling East Chambers' full-court defensive pressure and leading nearly the entire way – often by double-digit margins – en route to a 68-58 victory over the No. 11 Buccaneers in front of a raucous crowd at Madisonville High School's Mustang Gym.

For Cephus, capping his senior season with a trip to state is exactly what he and his longtime Academy teammates have been working toward.

“We put in work. We've put in work for a very long time, and this is what we've been working for,” Cephus said. “We're not done yet, but we just put in a lot of work and we trust our guys and go out and do what we're meant to do. Coach (James) Holt lets us play basketball, so that's what we do.”

McWilliams said he and his teammates were able to get enough rest and recovery after their physically and emotionally draining win Friday night, highlighted by his buzzer-beating layup off a long pass from Kollin Mraz to force the classic duel into overtime.

“It was just watch film, eat and then get rest for tomorrow,” he said. “I think everybody was asleep around 12 or 12:20, and Coach Holt let us come downstairs at 10 (a.m. Saturday)."

PLENTY OF HORSEPOWER: Academy senior wing Jaylin McWilliams scored 17 of his game-leading 26 points in the first half to help drive the 16th-ranked Bumblebees to a 68-58 win over No. 11 Winnie East Chambers in the Class 3A Region III title game Saturday afternoon at Mustang Gym in Madisonville. McWilliams scored a total of 42 points in two days as Academy (22-7) snapped New Waverly's 26-game winning streak (70-69 in double overtime) and dealt East Chambers (27-1) its first defeat all season. The Bees are 18-1 since McWilliams, last season's District 19-3A MVP, made his season debut on Dec. 18. (Photo by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

Advancing to its fourth state semifinal in program history, Academy (22-7) will challenge Region IV champion and fifth-ranked San Antonio Cole (25-5) – which beat No. 25 Santa Rosa 67-48 on Saturday – in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hays High School in Buda. The 3A state championship game is at 2 p.m. next Friday at San Antonio's Alamodome.

Tipping off the regional final at 1 p.m., roughly 17 hours after playing 40 intense minutes to snap New Waverly's 26-game winning streak, Academy was more geared up than gassed against a dominant East Chambers team that came in with a gaudy 27-0 record.

For the Bees of fifth-year head coach Holt, stamina and strength never seemed to be in short supply with a state semifinal berth at stake.

“The guys played a ton last night, and they played a ton today,” Holt said about Academy's starting five of wing McWilliams, senior guards Cephus and Mraz, senior power forward Tanner Rambeau and junior point guard Darion Franklin. “But at the end of the day, they're gamers, they're really competitive and they're going to do whatever they can. I'll never doubt their heart and their will. They'll give you whatever they've got regardless of what's left in the tank.”

Considering that Academy had a 7-7 record in early January, the view from the top of the ladder was especially sweet for Holt and his resurgent Bees as they excitedly cut down the net as regional champions following their 15th consecutive win.

“It's awesome, because you realize how much time and effort these guys have put in their whole lives to get better,” Holt said after pulling the net out of the rim, waving it above his head and playfully tossing it on top of Cephus' head. “The skill work, the AAU tournaments, all that leads to a moment like that, and it's just awesome to see. These guys have done so much. They deserve as much praise as we can give them.”

Franklin scored 11 points and Rambeau added nine for Academy, which seized control by outscoring East Chambers (27-1) 18-8 in the first quarter thanks largely to the Buccaneers' eight turnovers. The battled-tested teams played each other to a 50-50 standoff in the final three periods, but Academy never allowed its lead get smaller than six points, and that was with only 32.6 seconds remaining.

On Friday, Cephus exploded 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to help Academy push New Waverly into overtime after trailing by 12 points midway through the third period. One day later, the streaky, smooth-shooting senior produced 11 of his 19 points after halftime after McWilliams had scored 17 of his 26 points during the first two quarters.

Cephus also played his typical strong defense against lightning-quick East Chambers senior Ernest Ceaser, helping limit the 5-foot-6 all-state guard to 21 points, well below his average of 30 from the 13 Bucs games Holt said he had watched. And 10 of Ceaser's points came in the game's final 3:20, after Academy had expanded its lead to 59-42.

“We said that if we shut down No. 1 (Ceaser) we'd win today, and that's what we did. He didn't have the big plays like he usually does, and they couldn't score as much because they were looking for other guys who aren't used to scoring,” said Cephus, who on Friday played the primary role in keeping New Waverly guard Sebastine Amaro scoreless through three quarters and limiting him to 10 points, 11 below his average. “(The key was to) stay in front of (Ceaser). We preach a lot of help defense. We had help defense today and that helped us win. He couldn't get up the shots that he usually gets up.”

Said Holt: “I even said before the game, 'Jerry's not going to shut him down.' And after the game, he was like, 'Is anybody going to let Coach Holt know that he's a liar?' He was very proud of his performance. He did a great job, because I think that kid's going to be a four-time all-state player. I think Jerry was awesome, but at the end of the day it's a team game.

"We also talked about, 'It's not him vs. Jerry; it's him vs. our team. If he scores, he didn't score on Jerry; he scored on our whole team. So we have to be ready to help.' And our kids were in great position. When he got the ball, Jerry was on him playing tight defense, but we had guys ready so that whenever he drove we were in the correct position and in the gaps and taking away the paint. He hit some shots, and that's what great players are going to do.”

HANG TIME: Academy senior forward Tanner Rambeau takes a midair shot in the lane after catching an inbound pass from junior point guard Darion Franklin (left) during the first half of the Bumblebees' 68-58 victory over Winnie East Chambers in Saturday's Class 3A Region III final in Madisonville. Also looking on for Academy are senior guards Jerry Cephus (11) and Kollin Mraz. Rambeau scored nine points as 16th-ranked Academy (22-7) extended its winning streak to 15 games and ended the No. 11 Buccaneers' season at 27-1. The Bees' next challenge is a state semifinal against No. 5 San Antonio Cole (25-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hays High School in Buda. (Photo by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

McWilliams and Rambeau are four-year varsity standouts, and three-year varsity performers Cephus and Mraz also played for Academy's District 19-3A championship squads that were eliminated from the Region III quarterfinals by Crockett in 2019 and 2020.

To not only get past that frustrating third-round obstacle but also to advance to the state semifinals in their final opportunity is something that gives the Bees a major feeling of achievement.

“It's good. Most of us have been playing together since we were in fifth grade. So all the late practices, all the tournaments we had, all the fights that we had, it all led up to this moment right here,” said McWilliams, the reigning 19-3A MVP who totaled 42 points in the Bees' two regional tournament games. “And let's keep going.”

A discipline-related suspension forced McWilliams, a skilled wide receiver and cornerback, to miss the final two games of the football season – including Academy's bi-district playoff loss to eventual state runner-up Hallettsville – and then the first 10 games of the Bees' basketball season. Without the athletic 6-3 standout, they struggled to a 4-6 record against a slew of high-quality opponents, many from larger classifications.

Academy is 18-1 since McWilliams returned to live action Dec. 18 against Hearne, and the only loss was 77-74 in overtime against state-ranked 4A regional quarterfinalist Waco La Vega way back on Jan. 5.

“It feels really good, because when I stopped playing football, there was a lot going on,” McWilliams said. “And then I sat out the start of the season in basketball, and the season wasn't going as planned as we had talked about it. But I think once everybody got into motion and I came back and filled in my spot and we started playing as a team, we got a roll going.”

Holt said the Bees have benefited greatly from having their leading scorer back in the mix for a 12-0 romp through 19-3A and now a run of five postseason victories in 15 days.

“He's just so good on both ends of the floor,” Holt said of McWilliams. “He's a great defensive player. He gets deflections and gets his hand on the ball. And then on offense, he's a great finisher and shot the ball great today. He's just an all-around player, and we've got a lot of those guys.”

Holt said he's particularly proud of McWilliams for his mature approach to overcoming the personal adversity he experienced last fall.

“We have high standards at our school, and sometimes we don't (uphold) those things. But we're also not going to give up on a kid. I love the kid. He's a great kid. He says 'yes sir' and 'no sir' every time,” Holt said. “We're here to love on kids and build relationships, and when you give up on a kid, I don't think that helps. I think it was important that when he came back, it showed how important he was to our team and it showed how important the game is to him.”

TIME TO CELEBRATE: Academy players watch head coach James Holt cut down the net after the Bumblebees beat previously undefeated Winnie East Chambers 68-58 in Saturday's Class 3A Region III championship game at Madisonville's Mustang Gym. Academy (22-7) advanced to its first state semifinal since the Bees won the 2A state championship in 2002. (Video by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

East Chambers' swarming press defense created problems for No. 14 Lorena in the Buccaneers' 53-35 win in Friday's late regional semifinal. Academy did commit six turnovers during the first quarter (and 18 overall) against East Chambers, but those miscues didn't prevent the energetic Bees from controlling the early action.

After McWilliams and Ceaser traded opening-minute layups, Cephus gave Academy the lead for good by making an NBA-range 3-pointer from the top left before McWilliams' left-wing drive for a basket made it 7-2. Another McWilliams layin, Rambeau's inside bucket off Franklin's pass and one 3-pointer apiece from Cephus and McWilliams keyed an 11-2 run to give the Bees an 18-8 advantage after the first quarter.

Franklin's left-corner 3 off a Mraz pass and McWilliams' 3 off a Cephus dish helped Academy push it to 25-13, then the Bees ripped off a 7-0 run – McWilliams sank a 3 and turned a steal into a layup before Cephus made a left-handed scoop layup on the fast break – to make it 34-20 with 1:39 left until halftime. East Chambers answered with five straight points, but McWilliams fired an entry pass to Franklin for a point-blank basket and Academy carried a 36-25 lead into the halftime break.

“I feel like once we broke their press, it was a free game. So whatever was open, that's what we tried to take,” McWilliams said. “We had a lot of team plays that kept everybody going.”

With East Chambers still too close for comfort, Academy remained on the attack after intermission. A 3 by McWilliams, his pass that set up a Cephus layup, Rambeau's tough basket inside, Mraz's putback score off an offensive rebound and finally McWilliams' lefty layup fueled a 14-5 spurt that put the Bees in full control at 50-30 with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Holt commended Mraz's tireless rebounding work in both regional tournament games, saying the senior's boards created extra possessions and scoring opportunities for the Bees.

Of course, a cornered Buc is a dangerous Buc, and coach Todd Sutherland's East Chambers crew wasn't quite finished. Ceaser's driving hoop and a bank shot by senior guard Keyrin Green (10 points) ignited a 10-0 run, which also included Dylan Winzer's step-back 3 and finally Green's left-wing 3 that whipped the East Chambers fans into a frenzy and sliced Academy's advantage to 50-40 entering the fourth.

“That's what we talked about before the game. East Chambers is a team that tries to wear you down,” Holt said. “It may not be the first or second quarter, but usually in the third or fourth quarter there's a moment when there's going to be a 10-0 run, a 12-0 run. And we've got to take that, absorb it and just move on to the next play. Our kids are good at moving on to the next play and focusing on what what we've got to do this possession instead of what happened the last few possessions.”

East Chambers athletic senior guard Brayden Guillory scored 12 of his 13 points before halftime but fouled out 32 seconds into the fourth quarter when Franklin drew a charging call.

The final period followed a similar script as Academy used balanced scoring – Cephus' NBA-range 3, Rambeau's close-range bucket, McWilliams' on-the-run banker and a Cephus scoop layup – to build its lead back up to 59-42 with 3:42 remaining.

Seemingly dead in the proverbial water, the Bucs' battered ship didn't go down without a fight. Ceaser and Kadron Morris sank consecutive 3-pointers for a 59-48 game, but Cephus and Franklin responded with back-to-back layups off steals to make it 63-48 with 1:42 left.

East Chambers made one final push with a 10-1 run that included multiple Academy turnovers and 3s by Green and Ceaser to trim the Bees' lead to 64-58 with 32.6 seconds remaining.

However, Franklin secured Academy's impressive win by converting four free throws for a 10-point cushion before Holt pulled his starters in the waning seconds, allowing them to receive celebratory hugs from teammates and coaches and a standing ovation from the Bees' loud crowd, which then stayed to watch Academy's jubilant group cut down the net.

“I'm very proud of it,” Cephus said about his team earning its trip to the state semifinals. “It's like a brotherhood. I feel like we're all brothers. We're super close, and us playing football together just made us even closer. It's awesome, but we're not done yet.”

BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

CLASS 3A REGION III FINAL

No. 16 Academy 68,

No. 11 Winnie East Chambers 58

E. Chambers 8 17 15 18 – 58

Academy 18 18 14 18 – 68

East Chambers (27-1) – Ernest Ceaser 21, Brayden Guillory 13, Keyrin Green 10, Kadron Morris 7, Jacoby Perrault 4, Dylan Winzer 3.

Academy (22-7) – Jaylin McWilliams 26, Jerry Cephus 19, Darion Franklin 11, Tanner Rambeau 9, Kollin Mraz 2, Trae Rambeau 1.

3-point field goals – East Chambers 8 (Ceaser 3, Green 2, Guillory 1, Morris 1, Winzer 1); Academy 8 (McWilliams 4, Cephus 3, Franklin 1).

Free throws – East Chambers 12-17; Academy 8-15.

Notes – Academy extends its winning streak to 15 games, wins the Class 3A Region III championship and advances to a state semifinal vs. fifth-ranked San Antonio Cole (25-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hays High School in Buda; Academy reaches the state semifinals for the first time since it won the 2002 2A state championship.

#Academy #AcademyBumblebees #AcademyBasketball #AcademyHighSchool #LittleRiverAcademy #TXHSbasketball #TXHShoops #TXHSplayoffs #TempleBeltonSports

SURVIVAL: Mraz-to-McWilliams helps Academy oust New Waverly in 2OT; Bees play East Chambers in final

SENIOR MOMENT: With 16th-ranked Academy trailing No. 7 New Waverly 60-58 with 3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter Friday night, senior guard Kollin Mraz threw a 75-foot inbound pass that senior wing Jaylin McWilliams caught before making a buzzer-beating layup that sent the Class 3A Region III semifinal into overtime at Madisonville High School. The Bumblebees (21-7) went on to earn a 70-69, double-overtime victory, advancing them into the regional championship game vs. No. 11 Winnie East Chambers (27-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Madisonville. The Buccaneers beat No. 14 Lorena 53-35. Academy is seeking its first state semifinal berth since the Bees won the 2A state title in 2002. (Photo by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

By GREG WILLE

TempleBeltonSports.com

gwille2@hot.rr.com

MADISONVILLE – In Academy's home football game against Lago Vista last September, Kollin Mraz threw a deep pass to fellow senior wide receiver Jaylin McWilliams for a 67-yard touchdown that helped the Bumblebees win 13-0.

However, that was merely a non-district game. That stakes were significantly higher for Mraz's latest long pass to McWilliams on Friday night: Academy survival in the Class 3A boys basketball playoffs.

With the 16th-ranked Bees trailing No. 7 New Waverly 60-58 with 3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Mraz fired a 75-foot pass to the in-motion McWilliams, whose left-handed layup off the glass beat the buzzer and sent the high-intensity Region III semifinal battle into overtime as Academy's players and fans erupted in celebration.

A second overtime period became necessary after Darion Franklin brought the Bees back from a five-point deficit, then Tanner Rambeau's three-point play pushed the Bees ahead to stay and the Bulldogs got within one point in the closing seconds but ran out of time as Academy grabbed a dramatic 70-69, double-OT victory at Madisonville High School.

“I could go to sleep right now,” said an exhausted but smiling Mraz, confirming that he had no energy left following the 40-minute, back-and-forth classic in which Academy rallied from a 12-point deficit midway through the third quarter. “That's the daddy of them all. We've never played like that – double overtime, hustling the whole game. I mean, it was a fun atmosphere. We just had fun.”

Said Bees fifth-year head coach James Holt, whose team survived 19 turnovers in regulation and 24 overall: “I told the kids, 'I know y'all are having fun, but you're giving me a heart attack.'”

When was the last time Academy (21-7) – which won its 14th consecutive game by snapping the 26-game winning streak of New Waverly (26-2), Region III's highest-ranked team – had to fight that long and hard to come out on top?

“Never. Never. That game was like a dang track meet,” junior point guard Franklin said after navigating foul trouble to score a game-high 24 points. “I'm gassed. I'm ready to call it a night.”

Said Holt: “Playing double overtime, you've got to be in shape. The guys who were out there on the floor at the end played a ton of minutes.”

The Bees' reward for escaping the Bulldogs is a quick-turnaround showdown for the Region III championship and a state semifinal berth against 11th-ranked, undefeated Winnie East Chambers (27-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Madisonville High School. East Chambers pulled away from No. 14 Lorena to win 53-35 in the regional tournament's second semifinal.

“I think the first thing we're going to do is celebrate a little bit,” said Holt, whose squad hadn't played since last Saturday, when it controlled No. 17 Franklin 69-47 to get past the Region III quarterfinals after having been eliminated in that round by Crockett in 2019 and 2020. “But then we do have a quick turnaround, and so we'll talk about, 'Hey, we've got to take care of our bodies, we've got to get fluids, we've got to get rest.' Rest is going to be a big thing.

“We can't be staying up late. We've got an early walkthrough and a 1 o'clock game. You've got to be physically ready for that game, and that starts right now tonight in order to get there. I think they're so locked in right now that they're going to do whatever they need to do for us to be as good as we can be tomorrow.”

Added Mraz: "We've got to eat good tonight and get a bunch of calories in us to refuel our bodies and stay off our feet. But we've been playing tournament ball since we were 10 years old, 12 years old, so it's nothing new. We've just got to come out and perform tomorrow."

Franklin said he thought it was going to be challenging for the Bees – making their longest playoff run since Academy captured the 2A state championship in 2002 – to calm down after such a thrilling victory.

“We're going to be ourselves,” Franklin said. “We got over our Round 3 slump and just won Round 4. I'm not going to lie, we're excited. Coach said, 'Lights out at 11.' There's no telling what time we'll go to sleep.”

BIG-GAME PERFORMANCE: Academy junior point guard Darion Franklin takes a contested 3-point shot during the first half of the No. 16-ranked Bumblebees' 70-69, double-overtime win against No. 7 New Waverly in a Class 3A Region III semifinal Friday night at Madisonville High School. Franklin scored 17 of his game-high 24 points after halftime for Academy (21-7), which got 17 points from senior Jerry Cephus, 16 from senior Jaylin McWilliams and 11 from senior Tanner Rambeau. Coach James Holt's Bees rallied from a 12-point deficit midway through the third quarter to snap the Bulldogs' win streak at 26. (Photo by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

Senior shooting guard Jerry Cephus scored 12 of his 17 points during Academy's 25-point fourth quarter, and his stellar defense limited New Waverly junior guard Sebastine Amaro to zero points in the first three quarters and 10 overall – 11 points below his season average. Senior wing McWilliams scored 11 of his 16 points after halftime, and senior power forward Rambeau produced seven of his 11 points after halftime.

Cephus, Franklin and Mraz had four personal fouls apiece late in regulation time, but all of them made it through the two overtime periods without fouling out.

“It was very hard, because we want the ball at all costs,” Franklin said of Academy's persistent foul trouble, which helped New Waverly shoot 29 free throws and make 22. “Not being able to reach for the ball and steal the ball and rip the ball, it's difficult. But you've got to play disciplined sometimes.”

“I think the adrenaline kicked in. When it's that type of game, you're going to give whatever you have," Holt said. "They might have been tired, but we felt that was the best lineup we could have. Jerry, Darion and Kollin played both overtimes with four fouls, and luckily they played smart in overtime and we didn't foul anybody out.

“I'm sure they were tired, but so was the other team. The other team played their guys the whole time, too. When both teams are tired, it comes down to execution in late-game situations.”

Senior forward Gavin Chamberlain scored 19 points and was a rebounding force for the District 23-3A champion Bulldogs, who had ripped off 26 straight wins since a season-opening loss. Cameron Austin had 17 points for New Waverly and fellow senior guard Cameron Bell matched Amaro's 10.

Academy wouldn't have another game to get ready for if Mraz and reigning 19-3A Most Valuable Player McWilliams hadn't made their must-have connection in the final 3 seconds of regulation. That came after Bell's on-the-run bank shot gave New Waverly a 60-58 advantage with exactly 3 seconds remaining.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Academy senior guard Kollin Mraz throws a 75-foot pass over New Waverly's defense to senior wing Jaylin McWilliams, whose buzzer-beating layup sent the Class 3A Region III semifinal into overtime Friday night in Madisonville. McWilliams nearly scored the winning basket in the first overtime period, but the officials ruled that the ball still was in his hands as the buzzer sounded. McWilliams scored 16 points as the 16th-ranked Bumblebees (21-7) clipped the No. 7 Bulldogs 70-69 in double overtime, sending Academy into the Region III championship game against the No. 11 Winnie East Chambers Buccaneers (27-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Madisonville. (Video by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

After a Bees timeout, Mraz stood on his own baseline – unguarded – and looked to pass the ball down the court, but the Bulldogs defense of head coach Melvin Williams didn't allow Academy to run the exact play Holt had designed in the huddle. Mraz initially held the ball only in his right hand but then had to secure it with both hands as he began to lean forward. He used up 4 of the allotted 5 seconds before he finally released his long-range heave.

“We had Tanner Rambeau split down the middle and were supposed to toss it to him, and he passes it to either Jerry or Darion and they do whatever they want with it,” explained Mraz, who has the strong right arm of a quarterback (he threw four touchdown passes against McGregor last October while filling in for injured QB Cephus) and a baseball shortstop. “It didn't work out, but we were talking not too long ago about some football connections. I saw Jaylin and the kid he had on him, and I just chunked it.”

The athletic, 6-foot-3 McWilliams got behind New Waverly's defense, caught Mraz's pass in stride just inside the 3-point line on the left side, dribbled once and glided in to make a left-handed layup, which dropped through the net with 1.5 seconds left before the clock expired to force overtime and ignite a wild celebration on Academy's side.

“You've got to be in shape, but you've also got to be prepared. That play at the end of regulation, we didn't get what we normally look for, but it's a play that we work on,” Holt said. “(New Waverly) had a counter for it, and luckily we have a kid with a great arm throwing the ball in and Jaylin broke and finished the layup. That was a special play. It ended up being a playground play, but we'll take it.”

New Waverly entered the semifinal having outscored its opponents by an average of 73-43 this season, and the Bulldogs had won their three playoff games by an average of 26.3 points.

They certainly made life difficult for Academy during the first quarter, taking leads of 6-0, 8-2 and 12-6 as the Bees struggled to avoid turnovers and take good-quality shots against a feisty New Waverly half-court defense that didn't permit a 3-point basket in the opening period. Mraz and Rambeau made two free throws each before Ashton McBride's 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 17-12 lead after one quarter.

Down 20-12 early in the second, Academy made its move. Franklin's steal led to a McWilliams layup, Franklin made a 3-pointer from the top left and Franklin hit two free throws before a Cephus 3 from the left wing capped a 10-0 run that gave the Bees their first lead at 22-20 3:42 before halftime. However, Austin responded with a left-handed runner in the lane and then a fast-break layup that turned into a three-point play, sparking New Waverly to a 26-23 halftime advantage.

The 6-5 Chamberlain took over in the third quarter, making an open 3 from up top and fighting for a tough basket inside before Bell hit an elbow jumper to help push the Bulldogs' lead to 12 at 37-25 midway through the third.

Mraz, who had his typical active game in the rebounding and loose-ball departments, said it was vital for Academy's players to keep each other motivated during uneasy moments.

“'Stay in it' is the big one, and 'keep your head in it' and 'stop talking to people,'” Mraz said about what the Bees told one another. “(It was) 'play our game and don't worry about them.'”

Holt said his squad's communication was a key factor.

“I think the most important thing is that when they're coming off the court for a timeout, even if we're not playing well, they still believe in themselves. They're trying to pick each other up. 'Hey, this isn't over. We can still come back,'” Holt said. “They have a lot of confidence in themselves and they have a lot of confidence in their teammates.

"I don't think you can come back from a 12-point game in the third quarter if you don't believe that you can come back. These guys believe in themselves, and they're going to do whatever it takes for us to keep playing.”

With New Waverly on the verge of running away, Academy suddenly cranked up its intensity and flipped the script. Mraz's long pass led to a Franklin layin, McWilliams buried a left-corner 3 after Mraz saved the ball, McWilliams scored easily off a Bulldogs giveaway and Rambeau bulled his way to a close-range bucket for a 10-0 run before Joe Bryant's two free throws put the New Waverly lead at 39-35 through three quarters.

A streaky scorer, Cephus began his 12-point fourth with a lefty layup and a right-corner 3 to give the Bees a 40-39 advantage. The senior also played tight defense on Amaro, who came in with 83 3-pointers this season and averaging 27.3 points during the playoffs but didn't score against Academy until his 3 with 5:16 left in the fourth, followed by Amaro's two free throws for a 46-40 Bulldogs lead with 4:54 remaining.

“Jerry's a gnat. He's annoying,” Franklin said. “He's probably our best defender.”

Academy used the steady scoring of Cephus, Franklin and McWilliams – who combined for 23 points in the fourth – to chip away at New Waverly's lead, making it 50-49 on a McWilliams driving basket, 52-51 on Cephus' scoop shot and 56-54 when Franklin made all three free throws after getting fouled with 55.9 seconds remaining.

Franklin followed Amaro's two free throws with a hard-driving hoop to make it 58-56 with 39.7 seconds left, then Amaro missed two foul shots and Academy made New Waverly pay when Rambeau sank two free throws for a 58-58 deadlock at 20.5.

Bell then answered the bell for the Bulldogs, penetrating the right wing and skillfully banking in a running 5-footer to give them a two-point edge with 3.0 seconds remaining.

After New Waverly disrupted the play Academy drew up in its subsequent timeout, an unfazed Mraz couldn't throw his inbound pass right away but called a necessary audible and his long pass expertly connected with McWilliams for the game's defining play, the buzzer-beating layup that tied the battle at 60-60 and extended it into overtime.

“We never gave up. We've got the chemistry that nobody else has,” Franklin said.

New Waverly started the first 4-minute overtime session with an Austin 3-pointer and went up 65-60 on Chamberlain's layup off a steal. Franklin revived Academy with a right-wing 3, then Rambeau stole the ball from Chamberlain and Franklin's ensuing layup created a 65-65 deadlock with 51.5 seconds left.

The Bees had the final possession and almost won the game on another buzzer-beating basket by McWilliams. When Cephus' rushed 3-point shot fell short, the unaccounted-for McWilliams caught the ball underneath the hoop and quickly made a putback shot off the backboard as Academy players and coaches jumped up and down. It wasn't quick enough, though, as the officials accurately ruled that the ball still was in McWilliams' hands as the buzzer sounded.

Whereas the Bees never led in the first overtime period, they never trailed in the second extra session. Nobody scored until Cephus dumped a pass inside to the 6-4, 230-pound Rambeau, who scored while being fouled and completed the three-point play for a 68-65 lead with 2:09 remaining. McWilliams and Franklin each went 1-for-2 on free throws to make it 70-65 with 57 seconds left.

Both Cephus and McWilliams then went 0-for-2 from the foul line, and in between Austin made two free throws to trim the Bulldogs' deficit to 70-67 with 20 seconds remaining.

New Waverly began its final possession with 15.5 seconds left, and Austin got a good look at a step-back, potentially game-tying 3-pointer from the right wing. When his shot fell short, Kyle Merchant caught it out of midair and made an acrobatic putback off the glass with 2 seconds remaining to cut Academy's lead to 70-69.

However, the Bulldogs couldn't stop the clock and it expired as the Bees passed the ball in, prompting a hearty celebration by Academy's players as those from New Waverly dejectedly walked off the court.

“I think it's a competitive group. They're competitive in practices, they're competitive during games and they're competitive in other sports,” Holt said. “This football season was a great stepping-stone into basketball. They came in with a good mood and with a winning attitude, and I think that carries over from sport to sport. Hopefully us having success last year in basketball (30-7) carried over to football. They're just competitive kids. They want to win in any competition, any sport, whatever. I'm sure if we played Jenga, they'd be fighting over it.”

Although the 3A state championship game is set for 2 p.m. next Friday at San Antonio's Alamodome, factors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic require that this season's state semifinalists will be responsible for making their own time-and-location arrangements instead of competing in a traditional state tournament with four teams in each classification.

Standing in the way of Academy advancing to a state semifinal early next week against the Region IV champion is unbeaten East Chambers from Southeast Texas. The speedy Buccaneers – who've outscored opponents by an average of 74.3 to 48.6 – used relentless full-court pressure on defense and efficient offense to break open a close regional semifinal against Lorena in the final quarter.

“They look really good,” Holt said after scouting East Chambers in its 18-point win. “Their defense wants to turn you over and wear you down. We've got to take care of the ball. They're really patient on offense and they work for a good shot. Our defense has got to be really good.”

BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

CLASS 3A REGION III SEMIFINAL

No. 16 Academy 70,

No. 7 New Waverly 69 (2OT)

Academy 12 11 12 25 5 5 – 70

N. Waverly 17 9 13 21 5 4 – 69

Academy (21-7) – Darion Franklin 24, Jerry Cephus 17, Jaylin McWilliams 16, Tanner Rambeau 11, Kollin Mraz 2.

New Waverly (26-2) – Gavin Chamberlain 19, Cameron Austin 17, Sebastine Amaro 10, Cameron Bell 10, Joe Bryant 8, Ashton McBride 3, Kyle Merchant 2.

3-point field goals – Academy 6 (Cephus 3, Franklin 2, McWilliams 1); New Waverly 5 (Austin 2, Amaro 1, Chamberlain 1, McBride 1).

Free throws – Academy 16-25; New Waverly 22-29.

Notes – Academy extends its winning streak to 14 games and advances to the Class 3A Region III championship game vs. No. 11 Winnie East Chambers (27-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Madisonville High School. East Chambers beat No. 14 Lorena 53-35.

#Academy #AcademyBumblebees #AcademyBasketball #AcademyHighSchool #LittleRiverAcademy #TXHSbasketball #TXHShoops #TXHSplayoffs #TempleBeltonSports

DRESS FOR SUCCESS: Finally past Round 3 hurdle, Holt, Academy battle 26-1 New Waverly in 3A-III semi

POSTSEASON APPAREL: Academy head coach James Holt (wearing tie) and assistant coaches Jason Rankin (holding paper) and Chuck Mann wear dress shirts and ties for the Bumblebees' playoff games. They'll do so for the fourth time this postseason when 16th-ranked Academy (20-7) takes on No. 7 New Waverly (26-1) in a Class 3A Region III semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday at Madisonville High School. The Bees have won 13 consecutive games, while the Bulldogs have won 26 straight. The winner will play No. 14 Lorena (23-4) or No. 11 Winnie East Chambers (26-0) for the regional championship at 1 p.m. Saturday. (Photo by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

By GREG WILLE

TempleBeltonSports.com

gwille2@hot.rr.com

MADISONVILLE – Attend a regular-season Academy boys basketball game and you will see fifth-year head coach James Holt and assistant coaches Jason Rankin and Chuck Mann wearing standard clothing for their profession: slacks and either a polo shirt or a pullover.

When the Bumblebees are competing in a playoff game, however, their coaches follow suit by stepping up their fashion game, sporting dress shirts and ties on the sideline.

OK, so maybe ZZ Top's “Sharp Dressed Man” doesn't play over the speakers when Holt, Rankin and Mann emerge from the locker room. But hey, at least their sartorial effort is there.

“I think it sends a message just that it's different. The playoffs is different because there's no tomorrow for one of the teams out there,” said Holt, who favors a white shirt, dark tie and dark slacks. “So I think that kind of sends the message that this is a little bit different and it's more of a business thing and we've got to do what we need to do. It's just us as coaches.”

Academy's players, who don't have to adhere to any strict dress code, certainly seem to get a kick out of seeing the coaches upgrade their game-day attire to correspond with postseason play.

“Dude, I love it,” Bees senior guard Kollin Mraz said. “I think Coach Rankin genuinely enjoys getting dressed up for games. I actually think they all really do, knowing that it's for the reason it is, going to these big games. But Rankin definitely enjoys it the most.”

Added junior point guard Darion Franklin: “So does Coach Mann. I feel like Coach Holt is the last straw.”

But just to show that they're not taking themselves too seriously, Holt, Rankin and Mann also mix in a dash of humor to their wardrobe selections by donning a variety of creative socks. That includes Rankin's pair of Where's Waldo? socks that the players have spotted, leading Franklin to remark that “Rankin has the best sock game.”

“Check their socks. They're awesome,” Mraz said. “Rankin, Mann and Holt all wear the craziest socks.”

“The sock thing, I think Coach Rankin actually started it. Then I started doing it and Coach Mann does it,” Holt said. “A lot of mine are The Beatles. And I like video games, so I've got some Pac-Man socks and some Yoshi socks."

The Academy coaching staff's next opportunity to dress for success comes at 6 p.m. Friday, when the 16th-ranked Bumblebees (20-7) challenge No. 7 New Waverly (26-1) in a Class 3A Region III semifinal at Madisonville High School. The Bees are riding a 13-game winning streak, while the Bulldogs have won 26 consecutive games since a season-opening defeat.

The Academy-New Waverly victor will battle the winner of Friday's 8 p.m. semifinal – also at Madisonville in what will be a true regional tournament – between No. 14 Lorena (23-4) and No. 11, unbeaten Winnie East Chambers (26-0) in Saturday's 1 p.m. regional championship game at Madisonville, with a berth in next week's state semifinals at stake. The 3A state championship game is scheduled for 2 p.m. next Friday at San Antonio's Alamodome.

BOMBS AWAY: Academy senior wing Jaylin McWilliams (left) shoots a long 3-point attempt during the Bumblebees' 59-37 area-round playoff win over Scurry-Rosser last Wednesday in Buffalo. McWilliams is the reigning District 19-3A MVP and the leading scorer for 16th-ranked Academy (20-7), which has won 13 straight games going into its Class 3A Region III semifinal against No. 7 New Waverly (26-1) at 6 p.m. Friday at Madisonville High School. (Photo by Greg Wille, TempleBeltonSports.com)

Lorena handed visiting Academy a 52-44 overtime loss Dec. 11, although that was before high-scoring senior wing Jaylin McWilliams – the reigning District 19-3A Most Valuable Player – returned to the Bees after missing their first 10 games because of a discipline-related suspension. East Chambers knocked New Waverly (17-10) out of last season's 3A playoffs in the area round, 74-64, before losing to Diboll in a Region III quarterfinal.

The Bees breezed into the fourth round by overwhelming No. 17 Franklin 69-47 last Saturday in Lorena, finally getting past the Region III quarterfinals after close third-round defeats against Crockett in 2019 and 2020. Academy's boys basketball program had not advanced beyond the third round since the Bees captured the 2A state championship in 2002.

Although Academy was excited to overcome that previously frustrating obstacle, Mraz made it clear that the Bees aren't satisfied simply to have reached the regional semifinals.

“There is no satisfaction or any of that,” said Mraz, Academy's leading rebounder. “I mean, it's cool, first time since 2002 and all, but that's not what we're worried about.”

Senior shooting guard Jerry Cephus agreed.

“That's not our goal. We want the bigger picture, the end goal,” he said, alluding to winning the state championship. “I think that us getting past that (regional quarterfinal) step, we're just one step closer to our goal that we've been wanting for a very long time. We're just taking it one game at a time.”

Holt has a strong sense that his veteran, balanced team “isn't just happy to be here,” as the saying goes.

“I don't think that's really a problem with these guys. These guys have high expectations of how we wanted this season to look, and that started at the end of last season,” Holt said. “Obviously we wanted to get past that third round, but we also had hopes and dreams of going even further. These guys have put in a ton of work, so this is the point of the season where all that work is going to lead to us having success. We're in one of the deepest regions. If you're still playing, you're a really good team.”

Gaining a 14th straight win won't be easy for the Bees. District 23-3A champion New Waverly – which won its first league title since 2010 – has outscored opponents this season by an average of 73-43, and the Bulldogs' playoff wins over Hempstead, Huntington and No. 21 Hitchcock have come by an average of 26.3 points.

High-scoring junior guard Sebastine Amaro is New Waverly's top offensive weapon, having made 83 3-point baskets. He's averaging 20.7 points overall and 27.3 in the playoffs, along with a team-best 3.9 steals. Sophomore forward Joe Bryant (15.9 points, 7.5 rebounds per game) is an inside force who shoots 61.1 percent from 2-point range. He'll likely battle in the low post with Tanner Rambeau, Academy's 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior power forward.

The Bulldogs of head coach Melvin Williams have two steady senior guards in Cameron Austin (10.4 points, 6.8 assists, 2.5 steals per game) and Cameron Bell (8.8 points per game).

“Someone was saying, 'Who do you compare this team to?' And I said, 'Well, they're probable more comparable to us because they've got multiple guys who can score and they play really good defense.' That's how I view us as a team, so that's probably a good comparison,” Holt said about New Waverly. “Obviously they play a different style. They don't really pick up full-court (defensively), but they're going to put pressure on you in the half-court and they're going to send double-teams at you every once in a while.

“They're big. That's one of the big things. They start five guys over 6 feet and three guys over 6-3, 6-4. So they're going to have us in size, but we've got some height and we've gone up against teams that have size. We just have to focus on little things like blocking out and keeping them off the boards. If we do that, I think we'll put ourselves in good position.”

The 6-foot, 198-pound Franklin (14.3 points per game), who leads Academy in assists and steals and ranks second to McWilliams (15.2) in scoring, said the Bees are fully aware of New Waverly's skill but that they must focus on executing their own plan of attack.

“It's definitely more about playing our own game. If we play our own game, play how we want to play, play as fast as we want to play and we control the pace, we'll win any game that they put in front of us,” Franklin said. “I'd say they're fairly good – really good. I'm looking forward to this game. This is the game that we live for.”

Added Cephus about the matchup with talented scorer Amaro and New Waverly: “They have length and they're big guys, so we're going to have to outhustle them and play solid defense. I think we're going to have to stop No. 15 (Amaro).”

Holt said his Bees must strike a balance between playing their own style – up-tempo offense with plenty of layups and 3-point shots along with active, turnover-producing defense – and coming up with ways to negate or at least limit what New Waverly does best.

“I think it's a little bit of both of those. For us to be successful, we have to play a certain style and we have to execute what we want to do and kind of impose our game onto the other team, which is easier said than done sometimes,” Holt said. “But we need to know, 'What are they trying to do? What is their best attack?' And we want to try to neutralize that. If we can take away their best threat, maybe their second-best threat and make their third-best player or option try to beat us, I think that gives us an advantage. And I'm sure they're probably trying to do the same thing.”

Having guided Academy to a three-season district record of 39-1 and three consecutive 19-3A championships, Holt is preparing the Bees for their 10th playoff game in the three seasons, which have produced 75 total wins. He kept Academy's season moving forward despite a frustrating 3-6 start that included losses – most of them close – to 5A Liberty Hill, 4A Burnet and China Spring, 3A No. 2 Brock, Lorena and 2A No. 1 Ben Wheeler Martin's Mill

“I think that was huge, because it showed the guys what they needed to get better at. And it also developed an appreciation of how valuable Jaylin is to the team,” Holt said. “Any guy you take off the team is going to affect you one way or another, but he was MVP of the district for a reason last year. He's so important on both ends of the floor – a great defensive player and a great offensive player.

“At the end of the day, those guys had to learn that, 'I've got to be better at this. I've got to be better at this.' Good teams are going to expose your flaws. If we had played teams that we are 30 or 40 points better than all through non-district, I don't think we would be as good as we are now. We want make sure we're challenged, because that's how you get better. When I made the schedule we assumed Jaylin was going to be there and I thought we might win a few more games, but I think it made us the team we are right now. You can't really go back and change anything. You've just got to adjust on the fly and try to make the best out of the situation.”

Said Mraz about Academy's grueling non-district stretch: “It was a quick adjustment straight from football to playing the top-ranked teams in the state. We needed it, though. That instantly set the tone, because we hate losing. We got that taste in our mouth and it was like, 'All right, we've got to work harder. No more of that.'”

Cephus said it was the Bees' 63-51 loss to Brock on Nov. 24 in Cleburne that especially bothered them.

“That game had us hot. I don't think we ever want to lose like that to a team we know we could have beaten,” he said. “They just beat us in all cylinders on the basketball court. They beat us in everything that night.”

McWilliams made his season debut Dec. 18 in a home win against Hearne, and Academy's only loss since then was 77-74 in overtime at home against 4A state-ranked regional quarterfinalist Waco La Vega on Jan. 5. The Bees' closest 19-3A game was a seven-point win at Cameron Yoe on Jan. 12.

Seniors Mraz and Cephus credited Holt for helping Academy keep its season on the rails.

“Honestly, I think we all just respect him too much to not listen to what he has to say,” Mraz said. “He's been here for years and he obviously knows what he's doing, so we really just shut up and listen.”

Said Cephus: “It's always cool, calm and collected with him. Coach Holt, he trusts us and lets us play basketball. I feel like if we're able to play our game of basketball, we can beat anyone because we're not trying to do something that we're not used to.”

When the Bumblebees play their regional semifinal Friday night, Mraz knows to expect ample crowd support as Academy fans convene to watch the boys team compete in its first fourth-round playoff game in two decades.

“Luckily we've got a small town behind us. I mean, it's not hard to round up the whole town. We're all within 6 miles of each other,” Mraz said. “I'm thankful for it. It definitely boosts us in games when the crowd's going crazy behind us."

#Academy #AcademyBumblebees #AcademyBasketball #AcademyHighSchool #LittleRiverAcademy #TXHSbasketball #TXHShoops #TXHSplayoffs #TempleBeltonSports