Brusly coach Kirby Loupe lost a lot of sleep over the Panthers' semifinal loss to Wossman last year.
His team led by three with a minute left, but the win slipped away after Loupe picked up a technical foul that allowed the Wildcats to go in front and take the game.
After the result, he made a promise to his team.
โI would make it up some kind of way,โ Loupe said. โI donโt know how, but I would make it up.โ
One year later, Loupe did just that, coaching Brusly to a 45-38 win over top-seeded Wossman on Friday in Lake Charles to win the Division II nonselect state championship. The win marks the schoolโs second overall in boys basketball and first since 1984.
While he followed through on his promise, he gave all the credit to his team for making it back to the state tournament and finishing the job. He pointed to the two seniors beside him in the postgame news conference.
Ben Radford finished with 17 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks. His defense around the rim helped hold Wossman to just 16-of-64 shootingย (25%). He was named the most outstanding player.
โIt was just unbelievable,โ Loupe said. โHe is an absolute monster.โ
Micah Bryant finished with 17 points. He made just one shot in five attempts in the first half as the two teams were knotted at 18-18 at the half. Bryant exploded for seven straight points to start the third to give Brusly a lead it would never give back.
โThe best shooter Iโve ever coached,โ Loupe said. โHe just doesnโt blink.โ
After two years of close losses in the semifinals, there was no shortage of motivation for the squad. The team spoke every day about winning a state championship this season. During practices, Loupe pointed to the lack of trophies.
โLook up at all these banners, and there are no basketball banners in the basketball gym,โ Loupe said. โThat needs to change, and we talked about that daily. Now we can go hang one.โ
These factors fueled their confidence.
โI told Ryland Johnson, our point guard, (Friday) morning,โ Loupe said. โWossmanโs really good, and theyโre a perennial champion, and youโre going to have to beat them.โ
Johnson wasnโt ready to shy away from the two-time reigning champs, and his response showed it.
โHe looks at me like I am the craziest person in the world and said, โCoach, theyโve got to beat us, baby,โ โ Loupe said. โI knew thatโs when we were really going to have a shot.โ
To be the best, Brusly knew it would have to beat the best. That meant matching up with schools such as Wossman, Bossier and Carroll, which are all perennial powers in Division II nonselect.
โItโs Wossman,โ Loupe said. โWe have their picture in our locker room. Itโs who weโve tried to be the last four or five years. Itโs what we want to be here.โ
Brusly left Lake Charles empty-handed the last two years, but Loupe said the leadership on his team was the difference this season. It was a bond built on homegrown talent that grew up on the hardwood together.
โWe are a homegrown team,โ Loupe said. โThatโs one thing you can never fake, and thatโs that you enjoy playing with your teammates.โ
When Northwest cut Bruslyโs lead to just two points in the semifinals, Brusly closed the game on a 16-4 run to secure a 16-point victory. Wossman closed the gap to three points with less than two minutes Friday, but once again Brusly stood strong and outscored the Wildcats 6-2 down the stretch.
โThey had every opportunity in the last two nights to follow the trend of the last two years,โ Loupe said. โThey just werenโt going to do it.โ
The seven seniors on Brusly worked tirelessly to get past the hump of the semifinals. Years of heartbreak and falling short fell to the wayside as the buzzer sounded Friday night and the Panthers were crowned champions.
โAfter four years of hard work,โ Radford said, โit felt good to finally hold a trophy.โ