Beaumont West Brook Hang On to Nail Biter, Overtime Victory to Claim First Texas Basketball State Championship

After losing an 18 point second half lead, the West Brook Bruins never gave up and found a way to win by a score of 63-57 over the Birdville Hawks; Junior guard Elijah Garrett wins Nike UIL MVP

Junior Bruin guard Elijah Garrett chases down a loose ball in the first quarter of the UIL Texas 5A Division I basketball state championship and races to the other end for a fast break layup. / Daniel Grant

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - It took 36 minutes, but the Beaumont West Brook Bruins (38-2) are state champs of Texas high school boy's basketball in UIL 5A-Division I.

First year Bruin head coach Michael Thomas and his Bruins jumped out to a 18-point third quarter lead, but had to hold off a gritty, North Richland Hills Birdville Hawks team that battled their ways all the way back.

"To win it as a coach this year, I am so grateful, I can not even put it into words," Thomas said. "We worked so hard and we have been talking about this moment since I go hired last year. These young men believed in me, worked hard for me, and wanted me to push them to. I appreciate these young men that allowed me to coach them hard,"

The Bruins and the Hawks played to a close, contested first quarter with West Brook holding a slim 13-11 lead. Then, the Bruin pressure defense got going holding the Hawks to just nine second quarter points.

It was the Bruins junior floor general, Elijah Delgado that helped spark West Brook to a nine-point halftime advantage with five steals and five assists setting up his teammates to get easy looks. Senior guard Dillon Dodson was the beneficiary of those assists pouring in 19 points missing just one shot from the floor (7-8 shooting).

"It was honestly Coach Mike T's trust, he is always trusting in me in big time situations," Garrett said. " He is always putting the pressure on me to deliver. I always feel I have to be there for him."

Into the third quarter, West Brook really opened up the game starting the half on a 9-0 run to open up their lead to 18. Then - the Hawks stormed back in a hurry.

Birdville's run started with guard Avery Webb's three-point shot to fall, then the Hawks got a turnover on then got a layup to fall. Senior guard Trent Bowers got into the act with a fast break layup, and junior Sawyer Dotson got tough buckets at the rim with his aggressive drives.

The Hawks chipped away little by little and took a 10 point deficit into the final period. And then, after two three balls by senior Tasshir Pina-Warren and Bowers, and old fashioned three point play by Dotson - the game was tied.

"The effort was incredible, they do not quit," said Hawk head coach Anthony Holman. "No lead is safe with how well they can shoot it. But, more so, how much effort they put into it. You can see it, we were down 18 and made a few buckets down 14, and they just said, 'Ok lets go, what is the next play.'"

It was Dotson's three from the wing and another converted three-point play that gave the Hawks the lead for the first time in the game. Birdville led for just 1:07 seconds in the game.

Eventually - Garrett would get the lead back to the Bruins with a nifty move to the hoop for the lay-in and then the Hawks' Webb had a strong drive to the basket to tie the game back at 56-56.

With each team failing to convert in the final seconds - we headed to an extra four minute session where the junior Bruin guard controlled the clock and game with his free throws.

West Brook outscored Birdville 7-1 in the overtime period to clinch the state championship victory.

"It meant just to be preparing every single day for the entire year, we knew it was going to be extremely hard that has never been here before," Satcher said. "We were well prepared for this. We have great coaches, great teammates. Everybody is bought in every single day. "

For the Hawks on the afternoon, Dotson scored a team-high 22 points on an efficient 7-13 shooting.

Beaumont West Brook Bruins hoist that gold trophy after their first boy's state championship victory Saturday afternoon. / Tom Dendy

No. 25 Birdville V. No. 4 Beaumont West Brook: UIL Texas 5A-I State Championship; Game Recap:

FIRST PERIOD

• Terry Satcher takes it straight to the hoop for the first bucket.

• Sawyer Dotson answers right back with a top of they key three pointer. (3-2, 7:06)

• Garrett with his first bucket for the Bruins, (4-3, 6;10, 1Q) Bruins lead.

1Q: 5:51: West Brook : 4-3

• Dillon Dodson adds a corner three for the Bruins to extend the lead. (7-3, 4:00, 1Q)

• Trent Bowers with a nice low post move on the out of bounds play, spin and lays it up at the rim. (7-5, 3:15, 1Q)

• Dillon Dodson back at the line for 2 FTs. Makes 2. (9-5,1Q)

• Garrett pickpockets Hawks PG - Layup , 11-5

• Dotson with a nice pull up jumper for the 2 pt bucket.

West Brook: 11-7 : 1Q: 1:48

• DJ Driver of the Hawks draws foul. Hits 2 FTs.

• Driver back at the line for 2 more. Misses both. (11-9 West Brook)

• TIE GAME: Bowers gets the steal on extended full court defense - Layup to tie the game.

Senior Birdville Hawk Trent Bowers has his eyes on the rim on a transition layup in the first half in the UIL Texas high school boy's basketball 5A-I state championship. / Tom Dendy

• Elijah Garrett picked up full court and pick pockets Hawk PG for the second time and rushes down court for the flush at the buzzer.

End of 1: Bruins lead 13-11.

2Q: 8:00: Bruins: 13-11

• DJ Dotson gets the scoring going in the second period with some offensive action and finds the corner 3,

• -Satcher adds a buckets at the rim. Bruins currently on a 7-0 run.

• Garrett with two more, rises up over Hawk defender. Hawks full timeout. Bruins on a 9-0 run.

• Austin Stewart gets the Brins block on one end, then Bruins rush down and get a Dotson layup on the other.

• Trent Bowers finds his first three to go in on a second chance offensive rebound by Avery Webb. (22-16 Bruins)

• Austin Stewart gets 2 more points in the paint for the Bruins. (24-16, 4:30)

• Bruins holding Hawks at arms length with an 8 point lead midway through the second period.

• Dillion Dodson converts 1 of 2 free throws for the Bruins.

Sawyer Dotson nails three point shot.

• Dotson at the line from an aggressive drive. Draws foul. Converts 1 of 2.

• Garrett cherry picks his way down on 2 fast break possessions . Gets 2 buckets in transition.

2Q: West Brook: 29-20: 1:11

Halftime: West Brook Bruins lead, 29-20

Halftime leading scorers: West Brook - Elijah Garret 8 points ; Birdville ; Sawyer Dotson 9 points

THIRD PERIOD

• Terry Satcher gets the put back tip-in at the rim for the first second half bucket. (31-20)

• -Garrett penetrates the Hawks zone and gets to the rim for 2.

• Garrett corner 3 in transition

• Dillon Dodson gathers dead ball rebound and puts it in. Bruins open half on a 9-0 run. Hawk timeout.

3Q: West Brook: 5:48: 38-20

• -Hawks Avery Webb quiets the run with a three pointer and then a fast break layup. Quick 5 Hawk points. ( 38-25, 3Q)

• Bowers races down the floor to beat everyone to the rim. Hawks 7-0 run

• Satcher for 2 more at the rim.

• Sawyer Dotson said, Im faster than you goes straight to the rim and picks up the foul. Chance at 3 point play. Misses FT. Hawks get loose ball rebound.

• -Hawks had 4-5 offensive rebounds and unable to convert a bucket. Hustle is there.

• Timeout Bruins.

3Q: 2:29: West Brook: 40-29

• Bowers races down after loose ball steal gets transition layup.

• Dodson gets two more at the other end. Now has a game-high 19 points on 7-8 shooting.

• Hawks trail by 10 with less than a minute to go in the third. Big possession here to to get to single digits heading into the 4th.

Sawyer Dotson gets 2 free throws to drop - Then goes straight up on the other end for the block.

DJ Driver back at the lines for the Hawks. Misses 1 of 2

3Q: 19.2 seconds: West Brook: 42-35

-Press break layup for Terry Satcher to go back up 9 for the Bruins.

Delgado gets foulded at the end of three attempting a buzzer beater. Converts all 3 FTS.

End of 3 Quarters: West Brook extends lead to 10; 47-37 after Garretts free throws.

4Q: West Brook: 47-37: 8:00

Big time 3 ball for his first points of the game from Tasshir Pina-Warren, Assist by Bowers on the drive.

West Brook is impoding with some bad turnovers handling the press. Pina-Warren gets the steal and Dotson crashes the paint gathers the pass and gets the And 1.

Hawks down by 4.

Bowers 3 ball

4Q: 6:30: West Brook : 47-46

Terry Satcher silences the crowd with layup. (WB: 49-46: 6:06)

Press break steal-Pina=-Warren gets the layup =.

We have a game in the 'Dome.

4Q: 5:44: 49-48 : West Brook

-Turnover West Brook with an errant pass by Satcher trying to get into the post.

-Hawks Timeout. Will possess the ball with a chance to take the lead as they fight all the way back.

4Q: 4:37: West Brook : 49-48

Sawyer Dotson has tied this game up with his own three ball from the left wing.

4Q: 3:12: TIE GAME: 51-51

-Garrett converts 1 of 2 FTs. Bruins regain lead 52-51. Timeout Hawks.

4Q: 3:12: West Brook: 52-51

Bruin turnover. Sawyer Dotson converts on the other end with another 3 ball.

4Q: 2:06: Birdville: 54-52

-Garret back at the line for 2 more. Possible game tying free throws. Hits both (54-54)

-Bruins get stop. Garret nifty move to get to the basket. Back up 2. (56-54)

-Avery Webb ties it back up with a drive to the hoop.

4Q: 0:00: 56-56 . Overtime. Hawks get the last second stop with some nice defense on Garrett. Bruins do not get shot up.

Overtime is next.

Birdville scoring leaders: Sawyer Dotson with 21 points and Elijah Garrett for West Brook with 23 points.

OT: 4:00: 56-56

-Stagnant game play with West Brook slowing the game play down. Misses first 2 shots

-Elijah Delagado with a agressive down hill drive to take the lead back. (58-56, 1:36)

OT: 1:21: West Brook: 58-56. Timeout Birdville. Birdville Ball

-Full court pass from Garrett to Derrick Daigle for 2 more after Hawk turnover. (60-56)

-Hawks failed to make a shot and Bruins get the rebound. Garrett gets fouled for a chance to possibly seal the game. 1 FT made. (61-56, 20.7)

Hawk turnover breaking the press and pressure defense. Garrett fouled back at the line, misses both.

Dotson on the other end gets fouled shooting the three ball. Makes 1 of 3 FTs.

OT: 12.3 : West Brook: 61-57