Southwest returns to state championship with 62-51 win over Vidalia in semifinal

The Southwest Patriots are seeking redemption — and they’re only one win away from finding it.

The Patriots played some of the best defense they’ve played this season against the No. 1-seed Vidalia Indians and pulled away late with timely passing and shooting to get an emotional 62-51 win in the semifinals Saturday afternoon, advancing to the state championship for the second consecutive season.

The Patriots’ (29-6) victory over Vidalia (26-3) puts Southwest in the GHSA Class A-Division I title game yet again, leaving one last game in a season that has felt like a quest for vengeance after the Patriots lost a heartbreaker to B.E.S.T. Academy in last year’s final.

“We have the opportunity now to start talking about redemption from last year. I wouldn’t let ‘em use that word until we actually got there. Now that we’re past this game, we can start talking about it,” Hardnett said.

Southwest earned that chance using solid defense, which continued a trend that has emerged during their playoff run this year — and has helped them win even when shots aren’t falling. While known for its high-powered offense guided by senior stars Chase Dupree and CJ Howard, Southwest clamped down on defense against a stout Indians squad and held them to 51 points, 10 points below Vidalia’s game average for the season.

“We’ve really been emphasizing defense these past three games. Sometimes I forget myself that we’re a veteran team. I was telling them before the game that we’re actually the guys that have been here before. (Vidalia) missed us last year, they lost the game before. That team is so well-coached, so we knew we would have to be disciplined on defense,” Hardnett said.

That said, the offense still came through when the Patriots needed it most. Dupree led the squad and the floor with 22 points, including six key foul shots in the fourth quarter that held a Vidalia comeback effort at bay. Howard followed with 17. 

Alex Butts and Jonathan Hurley each had some of the most high-energy moments for Southwest. Butts had 13 points with four 3-pointers, three of which came in the second half and shook a Fort Valley State gym that was filled with a solid Southwest crowd. Hurley slammed a dunk home in the fourth quarter that got the fans fired up.

Nonetheless, Hardnett only felt the momentum truly shift in the fourth quarter when his team got several stops in a row. The Patriots even forced a shot clock violation early in the fourth, a sign of the way Southwest would pull away.

“When we strung those stops together, I knew we would be able to make a few baskets here or there,” Hardnett said. “We hadn’t been shooting that great the past few games, so I kind of felt like the basketball gods would do something for us. I really believe that, and they showed up today because we really did everything in the right order.”

The Patriots looked a bit sloppy early, but their shooting talent and swarming defensive play bridged the gap to make it a tight game. Vidalia’s execution on offense seemed more polished in terms of scheming, but the Indians turned the ball over far too often to build a meaningful lead.

The biggest advantage Vidalia held was a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Dupree quickly did away with the deficit by draining a tough triple, then stealing the ball away just past halfcourt and knocking down another shot from beyond the arc to flip it to a 16-15 advantage for Southwest.

The rest of the second quarter was of a similar ilk — the Indians would get concentrated efforts to enter the paint and net points that way, but the Patriots would force turnovers on the perimeter often enough to create scoring opportunities. 

The back-and-forth led to a 28-26 lead for Vidalia at halftime, which stayed intact after Howard missed a deep 3-pointer at the horn. Howard was still one of the keys for the Patriots in the first half as the only Southwest player to find any success driving into the lane and drawing shooting fouls.

The third quarter saw the Indians make a few buckets right out of the gate to extend their lead, but Southwest got two impressive 3-pointers from Butts and transition layups from Dupree to close the gap and take a 43-37 lead into the final quarter.

With an edge heading into the final stretch, the Patriots made the most of it by locking down the Vidalia offense and chewing clock on the other end to take an 8-point lead into the final two minutes. 

Aside from some drama when Howard and a Vidalia player collided and the two teams had to be separated, Southwest made their free throws in the final minutes to collect the victory.

The Patriots will play in the championship game Friday, March 13 at 3 p.m. at the Macon Coliseum against the winner of Rabun County vs. Fitzgerald.