Baldwin head coach Ben Smith and his team made program history after defeating Spalding on Feb. 16 in Macon.
The Braves’ 77-69 win over the Jaguars meant they won their fourth-straight region title and first under Smith, who also was named Region 2-AAAA Coach of the Year after leading Baldwin to a 24-2 record and a perfect mark in league play. He also became the first coach in program history to win a region title in their first year.
However, Smith, who took over for former coach Anthony Webb after a successful stint at Dublin High School, didn’t take credit for all his team’s accomplishments. He said it all started with the players and staff.
“It’s always rewarding when you get recognized at the end of the year. But I was only named Coach of the Year because of my players and staff and the job they did this season,” Smith said. “They believed in my vision and lived up to the standard that got put in place. My staff and players deserve most of the credit.”
In Friday’s region championship tilt, Baldwin had five players reach double digits in its third win this season over Spalding. Omari Woodard (21 points), Isaiah Dennis (16 points), Tremarius Lawrence (14 points), Karez Demory (12 points), and Deven Nelson (10 points) led the charge for the Braves against the rival Jaguars.
Baldwin led by as many as 20 points in the second half, but Spalding never gave up. Despite trailing 59-44 entering the fourth quarter, the Jaguars turned up the heat on both ends of the court and cut the lead to just four points.
Baldwin survived, though, after Dennis hit a big triple and the Braves also drained several free throws to put it away.
“Being able to cap off the week with a region championship was major,” Smith said. “You’ve got to give credit to Spalding because they didn’t make it easy for us. We got challenged late and managed to come out with a win.”
Baldwin got a bye for the first round of the region tournament and an automatic bid for the state playoffs after winning the regular season league title. The Braves knocked off Westside 86-52 en route to the title game.
The contest against the Seminoles was never in question as Lawrence, who was recently named Region Player of the Year, scored a team-high 21 points. Dennis contributed 19 points and Nelson added 15 points as well.
Baldwin enters the Class 4A state playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The Braves are also currently ranked No. 4 in Class 4A.
“Winning (the region title) in my first year sets the standard,” Smith said. “When we start next year and the year after that, that’s going to be one of our goals. The standard is to win the region.”