The fun is in the winning, but some lessons can be learned from losing.
Goose Creek High School boys basketball coach Blake Hall summed it up that way after the Gators’ 56-53 loss to Westwood High School Friday, Feb. 27, in the Class 5A Div. II Lower State championship game at The Florence Center.
No matter the outcome of any game really, Hall said he loves his players and the season’s journey and memories made is more important.
Hall’s bunch didn’t taste defeat much this season, though, finishing 26-3. Along the way, the Gators won Region 7-5A.
“Whether you win or lose it, you learn,” Hall said. “The greatest gift the Good Lord gave me was winning a state championship my first year (at North Charleston) and teaching me that wasn’t what it’s all about. It’s about the kids. I love them regardless of the outcome of a game, but I’m disappointed for them because I hoped our seniors could go out on a positive note.”
Westwood High School, which was making its first appearance in a Lower State championship, moves on to the state final at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 5, inside Colonial Life Arena in Columbia against Upper State champion Greenville High School, which will be aiming to repeat.
The Redhawks improved to 24-3 and held on at the horn when a running 3-pointer from almost straightaway by Goose Creek senior guard Ja’Quell Brown was off the mark.
“They never quit fighting,” Hall said. “That’s something we talk about all the time. Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”
Goose Creek had been to two state championships the past three seasons and shot lights out in the first quarter against Westwood, going up 23-16. The Gators still led 28-20 in the second quarter before Westwood closed the second quarter on a 12-2 run to grab a two-point halftime lead.
The Redhawks went on to lead by as many as seven points early in the fourth quarter before Goose Creek caught them with 1:30 remaining on a 3-pointer from the corner by Brown.
