An unforgettable group of Tigers made sure to wrap up their impressive careers with a championship Friday night. Irving College, led by a group of eighth graders who have been hanging banners for the last three years, topped Dibrell 42-32 to complete a perfect 14-0 run through the Warren County 7-8 grade league this season.
Anden Green scored a game-high 25 points on his way to MVP honors, while sidekick and flamethrower Drystan Cantrell added 13 points as the Tigers outlasted the Wildcats in a tough championship matchup. Dibrell, which upset Centertown to make the finals, held its own until the very end and got a big nights from Andre Mietling and Dylan Hernandez (10 points each).
Many of the same kids on the floor at Charlie Dalton Gym Friday were on the 5-6 grade Tiger team two years ago that went perfect while collecting a county championship. They were on a mission to be perfect again when they put on their Irving College jerseys on again one final time.
Dibrell didn't make it easy. The Wildcats sent waves of defenders at Green, who was coming off a 39-point performance against Morrison in the semifinals, and attacked the rim to build an early lead. Brayan Lopez and Stuart Garcia opened the game with back-to-back layups, getting open looks off the left side to push the Wildcats up 4-0 in the first minute. The Tigers rallied to tie the game at 8-8, but Halen Myers came back with a 3-pointer from the left wing over two defenders to spark a 7-0 run. Lopez capped the spurt to make it 15-8 Wildcats with just 45 seconds left in the first quarter.
Cantrell gave the Tigers some momentum with a step-back triple to end the first, then Irving College took its first lead, 18-17, in the second quarter on a contested layup from Mikey Fults. Fults played a huge role for the Tigers stepping up in the paint with big man Peyton Rucker sidelined after sustaining an injury in the semifinals.
A late corner 3-pointer from Cantrell, along with a strong take for a layup from Green in the waning seconds, helped Irving College build a 23-19 advantage at halftime.
Green was just warming up. The star guard broke loose in the second half, setting up most of his offense by grabbing steals and beating the pack back down the court on defense. His coast-to-coast scores and wide array of tough pull-up jumpers from all over the court were part of a 14-point outburst as the Tigers pulled away.
Trenton Martin added the final touches, rolling in a layup while being fouled as a packed crowd of Tiger faithful went crazy. When the final seconds ticked away, the Tigers were able to celebrate perfection once again.
Following the championship, both teams were showered with accolades. Green (MVP), Cantrell and Mason Petrovic were named all-tournament from the Tigers, while Mietling, Myers and Hernandez earned the same honor from the Wildcats.
