Dominion's Season Comes to an End

Brunswick Suffocates Titans in State Quarterfinals

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Saturday, March 7, 2009

RICHMOND — All season long, teams have thrown their entire defensive arsenals at Dominion, all with the express purpose of stopping Region II Player of the Year DeAndre Albritton. Whether it was a box-and-1, a triangle-and-2 or an all-out double-team, few of those teams have succeeded in stopping one of the most prolific scorers in recent Dulles District history for four quarters.

But in Saturday's Virginia AA Division 3 state quarterfinal at VCU’s Siegal Center in Richmond, a Brunswick team with a seemingly endless supply of long, athletic guards, hounded Albritton and his teammates for a full 32 minutes. Albritton was held to only 12 points on 15 shots and despite one of their best defensive efforts of the season, the Titans fell to the Region I champions, 48-36.

The Bulldogs (22-4) used senior guard Carlton Stith to shadow Albritton for most of the game with their other guards helping on penetration and collapsing on Dominion's leading-scorer whenever he looked to shoot. That pressure, combined with physical play and the remnants of a bout with the flu led to a frustrating night for Albritton. As they have been able to do with increasing efficiency this year, the rest of the Titans picked up the slack at times, especially in the third quarter, but they were unable to hit enough open shots from the perimeter to get Dominion into the semifinals.

"We felt that if we could take them out of what they wanted to do getting to the basket, we would have a chance to win," Brunswick Coach Bryant Stith said. "We wanted to force their supporting cast to make plays and beat us. We were trying not to let [Albritton] and [DeAndre Reaves] have productive games. I think that we were very resilient on the defensive end."

Despite shooting just 18.5 percent from the field in the first half and going 0 for 9 from three-point range, the Titans entered the locker room only trailing 19-15. The narrow margin was a direct result of their matched intensity on the defensive end and energy on the glass which produced six steals and 12 offensive rebounds.

"You're not going to win a lot of games shooting 18.5 percent in the first half," Dominion Coach Steve Douglas said. "We just didn't get a lot of open looks and that's a tribute to the defensive pressure they gave us all night."

The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 29-20 in the third quarter after Casey Walker's three-point play, but the Titans cut it back to 30-28 with Greg Smucker's second of two straight threes with 1:27 left in the period. Brunswick responded with an 11-2 run that lasted until the 4:28 mark of the fourth quarter and the Dominion would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. The Titans managed only one field goal and shot 6 for 12 from the line in the final frame.

"Tonight you had good, athletic guards trying to get out there and play great defense," Albritton said. "Both sides played good defense, they just got the ball in the basket a few more times than we did."

With their tenacity on the defensive end – a hallmark of Coach and former Bulldog and Virginia Cavalier Bryant Stith – Brunswick was able to overcome their own poor shooting in the first half and a 12 for 23 showing from the line for the game. The Bulldogs turned 11 steals into easy buckets and scored on several second and third chance shots.

Photo Gallery

Dominion Falls in State Quarterfinals

Photo: 0/1

« Previous | Next »

Larger Version

Dominion's DeAndre Albritton was held to 12 points on 15 shots by Brunswick on Saturday. (Matt Brooks)

Larger Version

Joe Williams greets DeAndre Reaves with a chest bump as Reaves is introduced before the start of Saturday's AA Division 3 state quarterfinal. (Matt Brooks)

Larger Version

The Dominion Titans huddle up near center court before the start of the game. (Matt Brooks)

Larger Version

Region I champs Brunswick County huddle up before the opening tip. (Matt Brooks)

View all thumbnails

Senior guard Michael Wynn and junior forward Casey Walker led the Bulldogs with 12 points each and senior forward DeVone Dugger added seven points and 12 boards as Brunswick used its decided size advantage to outscore Dominion 30-16 in the paint. Brunswick advances to face Southside District foes Greensville County for the fifth time this season in Tuesday’s semifinals. The Bulldogs have won the last three meetings including narrow victories in the district and Region I tournament finals.

Albritton's 12 points and 14 rebounds led the Titans (20-8) and Greg Smucker added 10, but no one else managed more than five points. Dominion held its own on the glass, losing the rebounding battle by only two, 36-34 and forced the Bulldogs into 19 turnovers. But 15 turnovers of their own combined with their poor shooting spelled the end of the best season in program history.

The Titans are only the fourth area boys' basketball team to reach the state tournament in a season in which they notched the school’s first district title and first region tournament appearance.

"Hopefully everybody realizes around our area and in Loudoun County in general – since we’re only the fourth team to go to states – that it can be done," Smucker said. "We didn't get the job done that we wanted to get done, winning the championship, but it's definitely created a legacy for our area and hopefully all the kids coming up from middle school and the whole area see what we've done, how hard we've worked and keep it up for the next couple years."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks