Midland falls short in Class B title game

LAKE CHARLES - Midland coach William Stanley knew going into Friday evening’s Class B state championship game that for his team to have any hope of winning their second straight title, they would have to contain and limit Anacoco star Will Reese.
It turned out, that was much easier said than done.
Reese, a 6-foot-4 junior guard/forward, was virtually unstoppable, scoring a game-high 26 points and pulling down nine rebounds in powering the Indians to a 62-48 victory over the Rebels  and denying Midland’s dream of a repeat.
It was Anacoco first every boys’ basketball state title.
Midland finished the season with an overall record of 28-6. Anacoco finished 35-10.
“One guy beat us tonight,” said MHS coach William Stanley of Reese, who was named the championship game’s Outstanding Player by the working media. “We just couldn’t stop him. We were putting all kinds of pressure on him and somehow he was still able to get the ball. That’s something that’s he’s very good at - getting the ball.”
Reese scored 16 points in the first three quarters, but it was his play in the final frame that put the Indians over the top.
With the Indians clinging to a 38-37 lead to start the fourth quarter, Reese went on a tear, scoring the first eight points of final stanza on a layup, a jumper in the paint, a free throw and then a long range 3-pointer.
  It was like a dagger in the heart.
“They (Midland) had cut the lead to one and I just knew that I had to come up big,” said Reese. “My guys had been playing hard and it was time to close it out. I knew I had to step it up and create a shot, even if they were all over me, I had to find that groove and get in it.”
For Midland, the trouble began early when Devin Gautreaux, who was guarding Reese, was whistled for his third foul with just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, forcing him out of the game for much of the second period.
“Picking up those three fouls, real early, was just a back breaker basically,” said Stanley. “Now, he had to guard one of the best guys out there (Reese) so he had a real tough task.
“I’m proud of Devin because he fought hard. That’s probably the best defender that kid (Reese) has had on him all year.”
Even with Gautreaux missing substantial time, the Rebels still kept it close in the second frame and trailed just 17-14 midway through the frame. The senior guard returned to the court shortly after that and drove the lane for a layup before dropping in a 3-pointer second later.
Dagan Patin, the Rebels’ sixth man, hit a shot in the lane to cut the Indians’ lead to 23-21 with just over a minute remaining in the half but buckets by Reese and Hunter McCrary to close out the frame gave Anacoco a 27-21 cushion heading into the break.
“We had to bring Devin back in there to create a spark and he did,” said Stanley of Gautreaux, who finished with a team-high 15 points.
The Rebels had their best offensive output in the third quarter and even took a one-point lead (37-36) on a layup by Randy Primeaux, last year’s championship game Most Outstanding Player. Primeaux scored seven of his 12 points in the frame. Patin added four points in the frame, all in the first minute.
That lead was shortlived, however, as AHS senior Samuel Turnipseed scored on a layup just before the horn.
Turnipseed was  a thorn in the Rebels’ side as well, especially in the fourth quarter. He poured in eight of his 19 points in the final eight minutes and also finished with eight rebounds.
Overall, it was the Rebels’ ability to finish drives. They missed numerous layups and shot just 40.8 percent from the floor (20-49). They were also shot a dismal 14.3 percent from beyond the arc (2-14).
A lot of that can be attributed to Anacoco’s defensive play that forced 11 turnovers and blocked three shots.
“Their main concern was us making layups and they were pretty smart for packing it in,” said Stanley of Anacoco’s defense. “We didn’t hit many outside shots. And we had opportunities to make layups, we just didn’t them.
“You have to finish against a team like this because they have the capability to of making it a soccer match. We didn’t get the stops and we weren’t making buckets.”
Patin followed Gautreaux and Primeaux, the Rebels two leading scorers all year long, with 13 points. Traven Gudiry, the high-man in Midland’s semifinal victory, followed with six points and Taatum Rubin scored two.
All-in-all, Stanley was pleased with his team for their efforts, not only in the finals but all season long.
“The way we are looking at right now is, we weren’t even supposed to be here to begin with,” said Stanley. “We fought through some adversity, these guys worked hard all year long and I am absolutely thrilled with how far we’ve gotten.
“I’m proud of these guys and I’m blessed to be the coach of these guys right here. They fought hard for me.
“I have a little girl and I don’t even get to see her much. I consider all 16 players on my team my sons because that’s how much time I spend with them. They are my sons and I am just so proud of them.”