The Greene County boys basketball team recently won its first region championship in a decade.
The Tigers (19-7) won the Class A Division II Region 8 title with a 76-61 win over Warren County (18-9).
Greene had previously beaten Warren twice in the regular season, but last Friday’s win wasn’t easy. The Screaming Devils came out swinging and led 42-34 at the half, but the Tigers didn’t fold.
Greene County head coach Mark Wright said it’s difficult to beat a team more than once in a season.
“It’s hard to beat teams three times. Even twice, so to do that is a heck of an accomplishment because there’s always a revamp of schematics,” Wright said. “It’s how you approach a team, attack their weaknesses, and strengthen your own to be better and give teams a different look so they can’t scout you the same. It's a chess game when it comes down to playing them after the first time.”
Wright acknowledged that his team has done a great job of making halftime adjustments this year.
“We're often down at the half, like in the region championship. There was some concern on the guys’ faces,” he said. “I’m like, we’ve already done this a million times. We adjusted, got back out there, and won by 15. We’re resilient and understand how to face adversity. We don't get frantic when adverse moments arise, which makes us special. That allows us to beat teams two or three times.”
In the third quarter, Greene played well on both sides of the court. They started to run a halfcourt press, which led to Warren turning the ball over, and the Tigers took advantage on the offensive end.
“We put a heavy emphasis on defense,” Wright said. “It created extra offensive possessions for us.”
Greene’s Braylen Hurt and Ivan Porter controlled the floor in transition, scoring five points each. The Tigers also got solid play inside the paint down from Jesse Broadus, who added 10 in the third.
At the start of the fourth, Greene and Warren were tied 54-54. The Tigers kept up the defensive intensity and pressured the Screaming Devils, who were held to only seven points in the final period.
Hurt provided another spark on the offensive end, scoring seven points. Laryous Burt grabbed several rebounds off the glass and added seven to the scoreboard, helping to secure the Tigers a win.
Greene had four players reach double digits, including Broadus, who scored a team-high 18 points. Burt was close behind with 17 points, while Porter contributed 16 and Hurt added 12.
“We’re a team you must take seriously,” Wright said. “You never know which of our guys will go off.”
Wright has preached to his players that this year’s team is a championship contender. He reminded them of this after the region title game.
“The guys took a vested interest and bought into what we were trying to accomplish,” Wright said. “I kept reminding them from the beginning that this is a championship team and let them know I understand the pedigree. I know what it takes. I’ve been there and seen it before. I had to do some convincing over the last few months, but they finally understood that this year’s team is different. I don’t know about any other year and can’t speak for next year, but this year’s team is special.”
Greene County won its first region title since the 2014-15 season.
The Tigers headed into the Class A Division II playoffs as the No. 1 seed and played Charlton County in the first round on Feb. 19.