England Earns Class 2A Title in Double Overtime

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- The England Lions clawed their way to a double-overtime win over Clarendon in the Class 2A state championship game. It’s the second title in school history.

Warren Green was named MVP for the Lions, totaling 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in the victory. Green grabbed the key rebound with just 8 seconds remaining and scored the final four points of the contest, all from the free throw line.

“I can’t explain how proud I am of these guys for fighting back. It was an outstanding game,” said England head coach Chris Houser. “I couldn’t be any prouder of them.”

Rodrick Williams lit up the court in the losing effort for Clarendon. He posted 20 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks while shooting 47 percent from the field. Kevin Eason added 17 points for the Lions.

The first quarter was rather slow as both teams settled in on the big stage. England (30-5) stretched their early lead to as many as 6 points, but by the end of the period, they held just a 10-9 advantage. England took an 18-11 lead with 5:47 remaining before halftime, but perhaps that woke Clarendon up.

Clarendon (23-10) responded by going on a 12-2 run over the next 3 minutes to take a 23-30 lead. Over that stretch, Eason and Williams had 5 and 4 points, respectively. England closed out the first half on a 7-2 run, taking a 27-25 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter was the definition of back-and-forth, as neither team led by more than 3 at any point in the period. Clarendon outscored England 16-13 in the third thanks to 4 points each from Eason and Antwaun Jefferson and one triple each from Tyrus Thomas and Brandon Bonner. The (Clarendon) Lions took a 41-40 advantage into the final period of regulation.

England drew first blood as Kevante Davis (17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) drove in for a layup to give his squad a 42-41 lead early in the fourth, but Clarendon came roaring back. Clarendon turned up the heat and scratched out an 11-2 run to notch a 52-44 lead halfway through the quarter.

England responded with a 7-0 run of their own to get within a single point. From there, it was back-and-forth until the final buzzer.

Justus Filoteo, the unsung hero for England, drained a triple, his first made shot of the game, to give the Lions a 58-57 lead. Williams went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe for Clarendon with 36 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game. England regained possession, but Green turned the ball over with 29 seconds left. Clarendon got three good looks under the basket that would have won the contest, but none of the shots fell.

On to overtime.

England climbed to a 5-point lead after the second made triple from Filoteo (3/4 FG, 2/3 3PT), but Clarendon never gave up. Despite never leading in the first overtime period, Williams hit a late layup to tie the game and send it to double-overtime.

Green and Williams dominated the second extra period for their respective teams. Williams had all six points for Clarendon and added a steal and an offensive board that led to a put-back layup. Green packed the stat sheet with 6 points, 2 assists, a rebound and a block in double-overtime.

“Coach just told me to keep my defensive intensity up, so I did,” Green said with a laugh.

With just 8 seconds left, Green grabbed a rebound off a miss from Eason (that would have tied the game) and was immediately fouled. He made both shots from the charity stripe to take a 4-point lead. Clarendon inbounded the ball to half-court and immediately called timeout.

The only issue was that they were out of timeouts.

As a result, a technical foul was issued, and England got a chance to extend their lead even more. Green once again drained both free throws and pushed the England lead to 6, setting the final.

“We fought. We did everything we could. We had chances to make plays, but we couldn’t get shots to fall, couldn’t make plays,” said Clarendon head coach Kendrick Hudson. “It just wasn’t our time.”

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