THOMASVILLE – The Brookwood Warriors took another step to their ultimate goal of a state championship on Thursday as they won their region title in a 50-42 win over Deerfield-Windsor.

“Ultimately, there are steps and you can’t just get to the final step or the final destination with one throw of the stone,” said Brookwood head coach Nate VanDuyne. “We have achieved our goals in the order of which now we are to what we really had our eye on all season.”
It was one of Brookwood’s toughest games of the season. They went all three of the first quarters without a lead and found themselves down by nine in the third. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Warriors took their first lead of the game that they would carry to a region championship.

“The pace, the physicality, it just wasn’t easy,” VanDuyen said about the game.

When asked how the region title win felt, VanDuyne had a mix of joy and relief. Joy in the winning of a second straight region title, but relief in achieving a goal that everyone expected.

“When everyone expects you to do it it’s almost like a relief,” VanDuyne said. “Don’t get me wrong, we are excited that we won, but there is also a bit of relief that we got the job done and now we’re continuing to move on.”

The closeness of Brookwood’s region title game with the Knights also provides them with real value. This Warriors team has often been so dominant that they blow teams out, not often getting the value out of close game, playoff like situations.

“I do think that while we did achieve our goal of winning a region title, I also think that the experience of another closer game and really fighting back to win a game where we were down, I think that might be the most beneficial thing to us moving forward,” VanDuyne said.

This region title not only secures a first round bye for the Warriors, but leaves them at the top of the rankings with the best record in GIAA 3A. Just behind them are 20-plus win teams St. Andrews, Lakeview, and Deerfield-Windsor. 

One thing that VanDuyne emphasized as his team enters the state playoffs is playing free and with joy.

“You can see the difference in a team that is enjoying being out there, playing for the joy of the game, but also playing with a purpose,” said VanDuyne. “There’s a blend. You want to play with great disipline but you also want to play free.”

The GIAA state playoffs wil begin on Wednesday, February 19 with the second round begining on Saturday February 22.