POPLARVILLE – There is a reason why Raymond is the big dog in Class 4A boys basketball.
When challenged, the Rangers always seem to come up with the plays, as Forrest County AHS found out to its sorrow in a season-ending defeat in the 4A quarterfinal round.
Raymond built a large first-half lead, then after the Aggies rallied in the second half to cut the deficit to one, the Rangers hit back-to-back 3-point shots and surged to a 38-30 victory Saturday at M.R. White Coliseum on the Pearl River Community College campus.
Raymond (24-8) is back for the 4A Final Four at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson for the ninth straight season, bidding for its sixth state championship and its second straight. FCAHS finished its season 22-8.
“It took us a minute or two to get into the game,” said Forest County coach Scott Landry. “And when you’re playing a great program like Raymond, you usually don’t have a half to settle into the game.
But in the second half, I thought we showed a lot of character and played with some toughness there.”
Both teams came out sluggish at the start, but after missing their first five shots from the field, the Rangers got on the scoreboard with a 3-ball from senior Willie Myles.
Senior TreShun Neal hit an 8-foot runner in the lane, then senior Kaleb Williams sank another trey for an early 8-1 lead.
“It was definitely an opportunity for us to come in here and play,” said Aggie senior Davian Cumbest. “We might have been a little nervous at the start, but when the lights come on, we need to be ready to play. We’re a team; we’re going to stay through it.”
The Aggies, in fact, did not make a field goal in 9 shots in the first quarter, only getting three free throws, and trailed 11-3 after the first eight minutes.
Forrest County started to thaw out in the second quarter, as junior Davion Griffin drove the lane for a basket, then sophomore Vann Brewer got a layup.
But the Aggies missed their next six shots as Raymond built a 14-point lead, using its traditionally aggressive man-to-man defense, similar to what Forrest County plays, and the Rangers were better at it in the first half.
“It was a defensive exhibition on both sides,” said Landry. “They do such a great job on being really physical. Their physicality and aggressiveness gave us some trouble, and there’s no way we can simulate that in practice. I wish we could.”
FCAHS started its comeback late in the second quarter, getting back-to-back field goals by Cumbest and Griffin on mid-range jump shots, and trailed 21-11 at halftime.
The Aggies were a different team when they came out for the second half. Cumbest immediately got the margin under double digits with an 8-foot jumper in the lane.
“Usually you talk about communication defensively,” said Landry. “Our communication offensively in getting in our sets, we did a better job of in the second half. We just couldn’t get a couple of baskets in a row, but good teams don’t let you get a couple of baskets in a row.”
Junior Keyonn Downs put the Rangers back up by 11 with a 3-ball from the left corner, but Cumbest drew a foul and converted both free throws, and junior K.J. Brewster turned a turnover into a 3-pointer from the right baseline.
The Rangers were just 2 of 7 from the field in the third quarter, as Forrest County capped a 9-0 run with a layup from senior Calvin Alexander.
“Coach told us we needed to be tougher with the ball, coming together and playing team ball,” said Cumbest. “Coach gave us a nice pep talk, got us riled up, and we realized that we could do this. So, we came out ready to do that.”
FCAHS wasn’t able to sustain its momentum, and committed turnovers on four of its next five possessions, only getting another layup from Alexander, and trailed 27-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We came out a little flat, so we knew we had to pick it up in the second half,” said Griffin. “We came out believing in ourselves, and we played a lot better.”
Early in the final period, Griffin turned a steal into a fast-break layup, and the Aggies had the momentum back, trailing by a point, 27-26.
But that’s when Raymond’s championship mettle showed up in force. Senior Brandon Walker swished a 3-ball from the left wing, then senior Jadyn Garnett followed with another trey from the left baseline.
Griffin momentarily stopped the bleeding with a layup off a backdoor cut, but Garnett got free in the lane for a 6-footer, then a steal resulted in a soft 4-footer by Myles that gave Raymond a 37-28 lead that was more than the Aggies could overcome.
“It’s a heavyweight fight when you get to these games,” said Landry.
“In a state quarterfinal game against a five-time champion whose defending its title, they threw a punch in the first half, we threw a punch in the third quarter, and they threw a couple more punches than we did in the fourth quarter.”
The Rangers were uncharacteristically poor at the foul line in the final minute, missed 5 of 6 from the line, but Forrest County was unable to capitalize.
Garnett led all scorers with 12 points for Raymond. Griffin had 10 points and Cumbest had nine points to lead the Aggies.
FCAHS loses three senior starters, but returns a solid nucleus on which to make another run at postseason success, with Griffin and Brewster leading the way.
“I need to pick up my leadership in the offseason, get in the gym more and work on improving my game,” said Griffin. “I want to lead this team to another good season and maybe get back here again.”
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