If Madison County was ecstatic over clinching its first state tournament berth in 13 years, the Red Raiders kept it to themselves – at least on the court.
There were a few smiles and fist pumps as Madison County (21-5) exited the floor following its 67-55 victory Tuesday over Monroe Area, but, overall, the Red Raiders had the look of a team on a business trip.
“We expected this,” Madison County senior Bradley Raines said, noting that the Red Raiders were out to avenge a 69-48 loss to Monroe Area back in December. “They had beat us earlier in the season and we wanted payback. We wanted to play them again.”
Nevertheless, it was a significant night historically for Madison County basketball. The Red Raiders — who have spent the entire year trying to erase the tough memories of more than a decade — will enter their first state tournament appearance since 1997 as no worse than a no. 4 seed thanks to Tuesday’s victory over Monroe Area.
To put that in perspective, this year’s seniors were four and five years old the last time Madison County sent a boys’ team to state.
“You can take a deep breath and say, ‘yeah, we’re going to state and put the (state tournament) patch on the jacket,’” said 10th-year coach Steve Crouse, who is headed to his first state tournament.
Madison County led from start to finish Tuesday in clinching that state tournament berth.
Raines scored 21 points and grabbed eight boards to lead the Red Raiders, one of four Madison County players in double figures.
In fact, the Red Raiders had three players record double doubles — T.J. McGuire (15 points, 11 rebounds), Patrick McCrary (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Stan Maxwell (10 points, 11 rebounds).
Madison County answered a late shooting barrage from Monroe Area standout Ken Jackson with a well-timed 11-0 fourth quarter run to finish off Monroe Area.
“I’m very proud of our guys for just being resilient right there, and not crumbling under pressure,” Crouse said.
Jackson, who finished with 25 points, cracked a 3-pointer with 5:46 left to cut the Red Raider lead to 48-46.
But Madison County didn’t wilt, particularly Raines.
The senior scored seven of the Red Raiders’ next 11 points as Madison County ran its lead back out to 59-48, and Monroe Area never seriously threatened again.
“We said, ‘we know we’re supposed to win,’” Raines said. “We want it. We wanted it bad. We needed the win.”
With 16 seconds left, Raines put an exclamation point on the Red Raiders’ most meaningful victory in 13 years with a hard dunk.
“Oh, that felt good right there,” Raines said.
Eleven of Raines’ 21 points came in the fourth quarter.
“Bradley Raines stepped up big in the fourth quarter,” Crouse said. “He probably played one of his best games.”
Madison County, which led 36-26 at the half, also enjoyed a tremendous advantage on the boards, outrebounding Monroe Area 53-28.
“That’s huge for us,” Crouse said.
Madison County’s victory sets up a rematch with Winder-Barrow Friday night at 5:30 p.m. in the region semifinals.
The two teams split the regular season series, with Madison County beating Winder-Barrow 67-60 in Danielsville Jan. 12 and the Bulldoggs prevailing 46-39 Jan. 29 in Winder.
Besides the obvious gravity this game carries in Madison County’s pursuit of a region title, it will also factor heavily in Madison County’s positioning for the state tournament.
“You’d like to say hey, if we come in first or second in the region, we’re playing at home again (for the first round of state),” Crouse said.
So with the state tournament berth hurdle cleared, Madison County can concentrate solely on earning the highest seeding possible.
“We’re still going to have to play hard,” Raines said. “We’ve got (a spot at) state. Now we’re trying to win the region championship.”
MCHS 67, Monroe Area 55
MCHS 20 16 9 22 — 67
MAHS 9 17 14 15 — 55
Scorers: Raines 21, McGuire 15, McCrary 11, Maxwell 10, Burton 7, McKeever 3
