Backcourt trio carries Episcopal to 3A crown
Three is better than one, and for Episcopal Collegiate it led to the school’s third Class 3A basketball title in the last four years.
Episcopal’s backcourt trio of Kam Brasfield, Treylon Payne and Khalen Robinson each scored 18 points, outlasting a 21-point effort by Tuckerman’s Bo Roberson for a 61-47 victory in the Class 3A boys championship game Saturday night at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
The Little Rock-based Wildcats previously won back-to-back state titles in 2014 and 2015 under former coach Micah Marsh.
“It’s special; I got to learn from Micah and get to experience the opportunity of getting to the state championship, and what it takes to get there,” first-year Episcopal coach Brandon Friedel said. “I’m super excited for our seniors. There’s only one team that gets to finish on top, so it’s a true testament to these seniors and these young guys for being leaders and getting the job done.”
Tuckerman shot just 23 percent from the field in the first half, including one of 12 from behind the arc, and never fully recovered. Trailing 28-14, the Bulldogs pulled within 33-26 late in the third quarter before Episcopal regained control with an 8-0 run.
“We had talked about at halftime how it was a five-shot game,” Tuckerman coach Josh Bateman said. “If we could keep chipping away and chipping away and get it to under 10 by the fourth quarter, I felt good about making a run at it. We played hard that first seven minutes of the quarter and then just had a letdown, and you can’t have a letdown against them or they’ll make you pay.”
The Wildcats opened the game on a 7-2 run and closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run for a
13-4 advantage, Payne and Robinson combining for nine points. Tuckerman nailed a three-pointer in the first minute of the second quarter after missing all six attempts in the first, but Episcopal led by as much as 18 before settling at 28-14 at the half.
“They’re a scary team, so it’s always good to start out on a big run like that, get a quick lead and then build on it,” said Friedel. “Our defense was big time; they shot 32 percent on the game and
16 percent in the first quarter. If you can get stops, it makes you a pretty good team.”
The Bulldogs made a late rally in the third quarter behind Roberson’s driving and Jacob Hockaday’s hot-shooting. The duo combined for 12 points in the period, but two late treys by Payne and Robinson gave momentum back to the Wildcats entering the fourth quarter.
“We were going to dare (Payne) and (Brasfield) to beat us, and they did,” Bateman said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons, and they’re hard to guard. We went with a game plan to try and take (Robinson) and (Gavin Hawkins) away, and they were just better than us tonight.”
Tuckerman cut the lead to
11 twice in the final period, but
could never pull within single digits despite nine fourth-quarter points from Roberson. The sophomore shot eight of 16 from the field in a heroic effort, but the rest of the team combined to go nine of 36 for the game.
Robinson scored six points in the fourth quarter while Brasfield and Gavin Hawkins each chipped in with five to secure the win for the Wildcats.
All three of Episcopal’s guards stuffed the stat sheet to go along with their 18-point performances. Payne totaled six rebounds and four steals, and Brasfield grabbed eight boards with three steals. Named the game’s MVP, Robinson had eight rebounds and four assists.
“They’re unbelievable players, and they share the ball,” said Friedel. “We talked about it all year, being unselfish and making that extra pass. As the year went on, the younger kids got more experience and got better, and Kam’s kind of been doing it all year.”
Improving on a 54-48 win over Tuckerman in the 3A-2 regional championship, Episcopal closed the season on an 18-game winning streak to finish 28-7. Tuckerman (Jackson County) finished 31-11.