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Saturday, March 3, 2007
Even in defeat, Druid Hills admirable
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rome — Many with their jerseys covering their faces, others with looks of disbelief, the Druid Hills players dragged themselves off the court Saturday night pained beyond words.
Their improbable run ended in improbable fashion at the Rome Forum. Not five minutes earlier the Red Devils had a seemingly firm grip on an AAA Final Four berth.
They went up by five with 51 seconds left when Jarred Riley threw down a baseline dunk. Hart County appeared desperate and discombobulated. The ball was worked to 6-foot-4 center Quint Clinckscales beyond the 3-point line.
In a sort of “Oh, I guess I’ll shoot” sort of way, Clinckscales hurled the ball toward the basket. It ricocheted off the glass and into the basket. Suddenly, the advantage was just 65-63 with 33.6 to play.
As the text book on late-game strategy indicates, Hart County fouled, sending senior Daauwd Lee to the free-throw line for a one-and-one. He missed.
The ball ended up on the other end in the hands of Bulldogs senior Stadarius Craft, a rugged player who flourishes inside. Craft launched and made another 3, and in head-spinning fashion, the Bulldogs had a 66-65 lead with 14 ticks to play.
Druid Hills did not score on its last meaningful possession, and Hart County chanted “Final Four, Final Four” on the way to its locker room following its thrilling 68-65 win.
Coach Allen Craine, who has resurrected Druid Hill’s once-downtrodden program, did all he could to console his team afterward. “[Clinckscales] hits a shot like that — off the backboard — it’s hard to overcome. … But we had to finish the game at the free-throw line, and we didn’t.”
His team represented one of the great stories of the tournament. The program was rancid before Craine arrived in 2002. Last year’s playoff win was the first since 1974.
Before the season, senior shooting guard Marion Simon was lost for the year with a torn ACL. A fortnight later, 6-foot-8 senior Kerry Weaver was felled with a torn knee ligament, too.
And yet Craine held his team together. He switched to an up- tempo club that highlighted the fantastic talents of Lee, sophomore sensation Issiah Grayson and Byron Dickerson, among others.
It worked, as proved by their win over No. 1 Dunwoody in the AAA Region 5 tournament and their state tourney showing.
Still, “I feel for the seniors because they built this program,” he said. “But we’re not done.”
Craine has done a commendable job in his first coaching position. He retired after 23 years in the Air Force, and when the principal noticed he had played pro basketball in Germany and other places on his teaching application, he offered Craine the coaching duties. At first, Craine declined. A week later, after a talk with his wife, he reversed himself.
“So glad I did,” he said. “Just a great group of young men. Before the injuries, our goal was the state championship. And even after the injuries, we didn’t quit. We kept going and had a great year.”
The future will depend a lot on if Grayson stays. Shady teams are recruiting him daily to transfer. (Are you listening GHSA?) Hopefully Grayson will remain loyal to the program and rebuff the overtures.
For, with Craine and Grayson leading, the pain of Saturday very well could be replaced in the future with ultimate satisfaction.
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