Middle Georgia Technical College men’s basketball coach
Bobby Brown mulled over several issues late Wednesday afternoon:
Would his Titans have the intensity and the execution to
sweep Oxford College of Emory in the last home game of the 2012-13 GCAA season
and secure first place in the final standings? After all, Middle Georgia
Technical is the host team for the postseason championship tournament beginning
Feb. 22 in the new gymnasium.
Also, would any one of his top players – in particular guard
D’Meco Rozier or center Dwayne Bryant – be voted the GCAA Division III Player
of the Year this Sunday?
As for the performance on the basketball court as a team,
the Titans did everything well enough to handle the Oxford Eagles 81-68. If
anything, Middle Georgia Tech avoided the same kind of split it had to settle
for when Southern Crescent stunned the league with a victory in Warner Robins
after the Titans won so handily in the first meeting in Griffin.
As for Player of the Year … Darrell Anthony, a 6-6 forward
from Albany, had the type of game that showed he could one day be in the
running for best in conference. His double-double night included 18 points to
top all scorers and 10 rebounds.
Rozier, from Dublin High School, had 15 points, 13 in the
second half, to go with four assists. Bryant was also in double-double
territory with 10 points and 14 boards. Richard Yancey, at shooting guard,
knocked down two 3-pointers in an eight-point effort and dished out four
assists.
Contributions came from all up and down Brown’s roster, but
none were more important than those of Anthony, still starting in place of the
injured Jeffery Gulley (knee). He in fact scored the 10 of the first 12 by MGTC
with three offensive rebounds and a steal.
Complimenting things was Yancey with his long outlet assist
on the spot to Rozier and a tiebreaking 3-pointer. Bryant was collecting a load
of defensive boards.
The Titans, leading 15-14, turned the basketball over three
times in a row. Oxford made nothing out of these mistakes, and at 8:48 of the
first half Jonathan Morine connected on a 3-ball.
Middle Georgia Tech never trailed despite the efforts of
Oxford to match baskets. Kevin Simmons, a 6-6 reserve forward, had a tremendous
game starting with a beautiful penetration assist to Bryant. Struggling on the
offensive end early, that play got Bryant going as he worked the boards for two
more and 22-16 Titans.
Three times late in the first half the visiting Eagles
closed the gap to one point. Devonte Smith, just like Simmons, did great things
off the bench starting with a 3-pointer when the score was 22-21. Simmons also
threw in three more points with a steal and an incredible spin move in the
lane. Smith would later score when Bryant knocked away Oxford’s entry pass
inside.
At 30-29 Titans, there were two more giveaways to the Eagles
that – for the good of the home fans – did not change the tally. In the final
minute before halftime, back-up guard Teddy Ethridge made a steal up top, drew
a foul and sank both free throws.
Bryant blocked two shots late in the half, his second coming
with seven seconds on the clock. Smith was all over Oxford’s ballhandler as
time ran down, and Ethridge stretched out to make sure MGTC had two more before
intermission to lead 34-29.
Yancey opened the second half knocking down his second 3,
and Smith got Anthony back involved in the flow with a penetration assist. The
Titans steadily maintained leads of four to six points and even wowed the crowd
with plays.
Yancey threw a diagonal outlet to Rozier at midcourt, and he
immediately heaved the basketball hard to Bryant for a slam (41-35).
Unfazed, Oxford pulled within one for the final time.
Anthony responded with two more field goals while Yancey assisted one and did
his own cut to the basket for a feed from Simmons.
Again, the Titan advantage swayed from two to five points
for several minutes. The home team pulled away with an 8-0 run that started at
9:28 with Rozier’s corner 3. It was 59-48 when Oxford ended the run, but
Ethridge’s board work led to a one-hander by Rozier. He hit another tough
jumper with the shot clock running down.
Marcus Walker didn’t let the game end without making his
highlights on a lob assist from Rozier against the press and slamming in his
own steal.
Brown said before the game that Rozier is in the top five in
the GCAA in scoring, free-throw percentage, made free throws, steals, assists,
3-point percentage and 3-pointers made. Bryant, according to the coach, is
second in the conference in rebounds, averages 14 points a game and is in the
top five in field-goal percentage, blocks and steals.
ROZIER’S MOTIVATION
Rozier plays every game from high school to college with a
heavy heart, thinking of his beat friend growing up, Jordan Thomas. In the
summer of 2008, before they were starting high school, Thomas died of a staph
infection in his arm.
On Feb. 9, Rozier had 31 points in a double-overtime game at
home against Denmark Technical College. On the same day in Wilkinson County, an
annual All-Star game took place in Thomas’ honor.
“(Denmark) beat us pretty bad there,” said Rozier. “I just
felt my team needed somebody to go out and score, so I started being
aggressive.
“(Thomas) was my best friend growing up. It hit me pretty
hard.”
Rozier went on to have a special career with the Dublin
Fighting Irish, which started with a state championship that freshman season.
Just the year before, the friends were teammates on a middle school title team
in Laurens County.
Today, as he looks for a college championship, Rozier is
glad to know Thomas’ memory is kept alive.
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