Dobbs’ last-second shot sends Fairmont Senior to thrilling 60-59 victory over Shady Spring in Class AAA final

(Game highlights)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fairmont Senior head coach David Retton never considered calling a timeout.

After Shady Spring’s Braden Chapman scored with 11 seconds left to give his team a one-point lead, Retton elected to have the Polar Bears play through.

It turned out to be perhaps the best coaching decision of his storied career.

The Polar Bears’ DeSean Goode brought the ball up the court and passed to Dominic Viani, who immediately got it into the hands of sophomore guard Zycheus Dobbs. Dobbs went to his left and got into the paint, before rising off one foot for a short jump shot that trickled off the front of the rim and fell through just before time expired, lifting the Polar Bears to a 60-59 victory in the Class AAA title game at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.

(MetroNews broadcast highlights) 

“The players make the plays,” Retton said. “In that situation I’m not calling a timeout, because then they get to set their defense. In the timeout, regardless of how much you try to give them confidence and composure, I believe it works against us.”

Dobbs was mobbed by teammates and coaches during the celebration after the Polar Bears were assured of their third state championship since 2016.

“I was aware of the time,” Dobbs said. “We go through these situations all the time in practice. I was thinking we may call a timeout and run one of the plays, but we didn’t, so I just took it.

“I really don’t even remember the celebration.”

Shady Spring head coach Ronnie Olson, whose team narrowly fell short of repeating as AAA champion, unsuccessfully tried to call timeout after Dobbs’ game-winner and blamed himself.

“It’s my fault,” Olson said. “I should’ve called a timeout. The officials never recognized me all game, so I’m not sure they’d have recognized me then. But I take the blame for losing the game because I should’ve taken a timeout when we scored to set our defense.”

The frantic finish featured the top seed Tigers (25-2) overcoming a seven-point deficit in the final 2-plus minutes. The No. 3 Polar Bears (24-3) led 58-51 after Dobbs split two free throws with 2:42 remaining, but Chapman and Ammar Maxwell scored from close range to make it a one-possession game at 58-55 with 2:13 left.

(Postgame ‘Round of Sound’)

Chapman converted a layup with 55 seconds left that made it a one-point game, and after a Fairmont Senior turnover, the Tigers’ junior guard showed his shiftiness in maneuvering through the defense and finishing with his right hand.

“I just wanted to get downhill and get to the rim, see what I could do for my team,” Chapman said. “It ended up not being enough.”

The Polar Bears began the fourth quarter with a 45-41 lead, and it grew to be as large as eight at 53-45 on Joe Uram’s layup with 5:31 remaining, before the Tigers came charging back.

“Anyone can have poise when you’re up 20 or 25,” Retton said. “Poise is when you’re struggling, things are going tough and teams are making a comeback. We showed it.”

The Tigers started slow for the third straight game in Charleston, and the Polar Bears made 10-of-15 field-goal attempts in the opening quarter to build a 22-15 lead. Dobbs, Uram and Eric Smith each scored six points in the opening quarter, while Goode accounted for the remaining four.

“Twenty-two points in the first quarter made a difference,” Olson said. “That’s too many. They got what they wanted early and some of the big threes in the corner on those crosscourt kickouts hurt as well.”

But less than 2 minutes into the second quarter, Shady Spring held its first lead after beginning the frame with a 10-2 spurt that featured 3-pointers from Cameron Manns and Maxwell.

Cole Chapman’s layup left SSHS with a 27-26 lead, but the Polar Bears outscored the Tigers 9-2 over the final 4:53 of the half to hold a 35-29 advantage at the break.

“It was a remendous effort by both teams,” Olson said. “We didn’t start the first quarter the way we should’ve and that kind of was the difference in the game. My guys never stopped. Somebody has to win, somebody has to lose; pretty simple. It sucks we didn’t do enough to win.”

The Chapman brothers scored all 12 Shady Spring points in the third quarter, including Braden’s triple at the 2:04 mark that allowed the Tigers to lead 41-40.

However, Uram’s 3 and a Goode jumper marked the final five points of the period and allowed FSHS to lead by four entering the fourth.

(Fairmont Senior postgame press conference) 

Goode led a balanced Polar Bear scoring attack with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Dobbs followed with 15 points and Uram scored 11. Smith poured in 10 to make it four in double figures, while Viani added eight.

After the contest, Retton revealed that Smith, a Miami Ohio football signee, played the entire basketball season with a torn labrum and will undergo surgery March 30.

“Our team has been predicated and based on everybody filling a role,” Retton said. “That’s what we try to do and what we try to get accomplished. You can give a kid a role but they have to accept it and play it and that’s important. Not everybody is going to score ‘X’ amount a game or play 25 minutes. These guys were OK with that.”

Goode’s 10 rebounds were a game high, as were Dobbs’ eight assists and six blocks. Smith added seven boards and four blocks, as the Polar Bears swatted 12 shots in all.

Braden Chapman led all players with 26 points and added eight boards. Maxwell scored 16 and Cole Chapman added 10 points with seven rebounds.

FINAL STATS FROM CLASS AAA TITLE GAME

Class AAA all-tournament team

Reece Carden, Scott

Ryan Reasbeck, Wheeling Central

Cole Chapman, Shady Spring

Ryan Maier, Grafton

Eric Smith, Fairmont Senior

Dane Hatfield, Herbert Hoover

Zycheus Dobbs, Fairmont Senior

Braden Chapman, Shady Spring

DeSean Goode, Fairmont Senior

(Shady Spring postgame press conference)





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