CANTON — There was no doubt left in anyone’s mind Saturday night as the Columbia Academy Cougars dominated Carroll Academy in the Class 3A state championship at Canton Academy, claiming their first state title since 2004 and fifth overall.
Columbia Academy (35-2) never trailed after the first minute of the game and suffocated Carroll’s offense in a 53-37 blowout that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
Head coach Dale Watts said it’s very special winning his first championship at CA, especially because he got to watch the senior class grow up together.
“It seems like the older you get, the sweeter it can get because you know how hard it is to get there. These guys I’ve had since they were in the sixth grade, and it was very special,” he said.
In a career filled with dominant performances, Tate Duncan saved his best for when it mattered most with a double-double, scoring 21 points, hauling in 14 rebounds and blocking several shots. He consistently dominated the offensive glass and delivered a monstrous dunk in the first quarter that set the tone for the rest of the game.
“The crowd was just sitting there waiting for a spark for them to explode, and that was the spark that really got them up on their feet,” Watts said.
Duncan’s dunk was part of the Cougars’ 16-7 start, and Carroll never got closer than seven points the rest of the way. CA led 24-15 at halftime, but its lead ballooned to 41-24 going into the fourth quarter, thanks to combo guard Ras Pace.
The senior had just four points in the first half but went on an 8-0 run by himself at one point in the third quarter and finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
“I had challenged (Pace) pretty hard at halftime that he was going to have to step up because his perimeter shots weren’t falling. I said, ‘Hey, you gotta find a way.’ That’s what he did,” Watts said. “He came out there in third quarter and got those steals, got those baskets in transition and capitalized on it. There were times throughout the tournament that we, Ras in particular, didn’t capitalize with an advantage, but in that stretch he did. That broke it open.”
Cody Fortenberry added 14 points and seven rebounds while guarding Carroll’s best big man, Reese Fulton. Watts said he felt Fortenberry’s quickness was a good match for Fulton’s propensity to play on the perimeter as well as inside, and he didn’t want Duncan to get in foul trouble because he’s CA’s No. 1 option offensively.
“I didn’t know if that strategy would work or not, but we were able to maintain that throughout the game. Cody guarded him the whole time and did a good job with that guy as well as doing a good job offensively,” he said. “That was a big responsibility we threw at Cody, and he handled it.”
Carroll’s offense was designed for ball screens to get shooters open on the perimeter and to get layups on back cuts, but the Cougars defended it nearly perfectly. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Rebels had made six 3-pointers, two free throws and just two layups.
“I thought our defense was extremely strong and extremely tenacious. We didn’t give them anything,” Watts said. “We played them man, and even if somebody got beat by a step somebody else was stepping in there to help.”
The Cougars actually didn’t make a single 3-pointer in the game, while Carroll made seven. CA’s advantage in transition and in second-chance opportunities was so profound that it far and away mitigated Carroll’s long-range game.
“That was the big difference,” Watts said.
The veteran head coach added that losing in the first round of the south state tournament last year to St. Aloysius 40-39 on a questionable late-game call elevated the Cougars to do what the 2017 team, which won south state but lost in the first round of the state tournament, couldn’t.
“For me, I came here seven years ago to coach boys. Our goal then was to win a state championship. (In 2017), Wiley (Cleland) and them did a great job and we had a great team, but we let it slip through our fingers,” Watts explained. “We had a vision this year and had our sights set on (state) for this year. Another thing that made it real special was the boys lost a heartbreaker in south state, and that just kind of set the tone for us. When we were sitting in the dressing room last year at the end of last season, that feeling gave them the determination to come back.”
The Cougars began the MAIS overall tournament Wednesday, playing Jackson Prep, who beat Hillcrest Christian 63-34 Tuesday morning.
Watts said there’s no doubt the main goal was to win the 3A state championship, but no Columbia Academy team has ever won the overall tournament. Watts won two coaching at Parklane Academy.
“What it will boil down to is we’ll need to beat three 5A schools in four days. That’s a big task,” Watts said. “We’re going to work hard, but we’ve met our goal. Everything now is just gravy. To go play at Mississippi College, that’s a big honor and we look forward to it.”
The state champion Cougars include Duncan, Pace, Fortenberry, Ethan Stringer, Robert Johnson, Hays Carley, Will Arinder, Jeffrey Pennington, Eli Beard, Caleb King, Carter Rowell, Ladner Watts, Zach Stanley and Jacob Bain.
Pictured Above: CA's Ethan Stringer handles the ball in transition against Carroll Academy in the state championship game Saturday. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
