LAKE CHARLES — Forty-two years of waiting ended Friday night inside Burton Coliseum.
The Brusly Panthers defeated Wossman 45-38 in the Division II nonselect state championship game, claiming the program’s first state title since 1984 and knocking off the two-time defending champion Wildcats in the process.
It was not easy. It was not pretty. But it was worth every moment.
“Anytime you out-tough a Casey Jones team, you have done something,” the broadcast team noted on the LHSAA Network. “But Coach Loupe had them ready.”
A Game Decided by Toughness
Brusly led 12-9 after the first quarter and the teams went into halftime knotted at 18, both clubs grinding through miserable shooting conditions in Burton Coliseum’s cavernous arena. The Panthers came out of the locker room with an answer.
Micah Bryant opened the second half by draining Brusly’s first three-pointer of the game, sparking a 7-0 run to open the third quarter. Bryant finished with 15 points, repeatedly making difficult shots when the Panthers needed them most.
Ben Radford was the story of the night. The senior big man played every minute of the game, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds while altering or blocking shot after shot. He handled point guard duties when needed, set screens, made free throws and defended the post against one of the state’s best programs.
“Too big, too strong, too good,” the broadcast team said after one of his post scores.
Radford currently holds only one college offer — from Tougaloo College — a fact the announcers noted may change after his championship performance.
Senior Ryland Johnson added nine points and delivered the dagger — a fast-break layup off a steal with under 30 seconds to go that pushed the lead to five and sealed the win. Senior Kazi Murray, who twisted his ankle in the first three minutes of the game, gutted through the injury and returned to play a key role, including a tough basket through contact late in the fourth quarter that pushed the lead back to five after Wossman had cut it to three. Senior Jonden James also contributed in the closing moments, finishing off a Johnson pass for a key basket late.
Late Drama
Wossman would not go quietly. Jontae Turpin — the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 19 points per game — connected on a three-pointer with under two minutes remaining to cut Brusly’s lead to three, sending a jolt through the Wossman faithful. But Murray answered immediately, and Johnson’s seal on the other end finished the Wildcats off.
Turpin finished with 14 points. Roosevelt Dean was relentless for Wossman, scoring 10 and defending at a high level on both ends, but the Wildcats shot just 2-of-9 from the free throw line — a costly performance in a seven-point game.
History On the Bench
Watching from the stands was Walt Lemoine — the man whose name is on the Brusly court and who is now the school’s principal. Lemoine was a young coach in 1984, the last time Brusly won a state title.
He noted that West Baton Rouge Parish President Jason Manola was a member of that 1984 championship team.
“A lot of history with that team,” Lemoine said during a halftime interview on the LHSAA Network.
A Program Built the Right Way
Head coach Kirby Loupe, in his 11th year at Brusly and 24th year at the school, had spoken earlier in the week about what this moment meant.
“This isn’t a last night award,” Loupe said. “This is a cultivating situation over the last three, four years. The seniors last year, the seniors the year before — they don’t get to share in this experience, but they are definitely part of the foundation.”
Loupe said the program’s goal has always been bigger than basketball.
“We’ve built a winning basketball team, but we’re building winning men,” he said. “Good citizens, good students, good husbands, good dads. That’s what’s important to me.”
The Panthers had lost in the semifinals the previous two years, including a gut-wrenching 56-52 defeat to Wossman last season on a technical foul called on Loupe with under a minute to play, when Brusly led by one.
Friday night, there were no such moments. Brusly closed it out.
Brusly’s only previous state championship came in 1984, when the Panthers defeated Upper Point Coupee 82-69 for the Class 2A title.
Photo courtesy of Showtyme Murphy.
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