It’s been 12 years since the Mullins Auctioneers basketball team won their last state championship. Next Saturday at the Colonial Center, the program will get the long awaited shot at the Class 2A crown after defeating Wade Hampton 57-55, for the lower state title.
Head coach Mark Gerald felt the final seconds of the clock wouldn’t tick down fast enough. “They came hot, and we knew they could shoot the ball, but our kids felt all the while this was our year,” Gerald said.
Saturday night’s championship victory at Columbia’s Dreher High School was the first since the 1997 season.
Down 11-2 in the first four minutes of the game, junior point guard Eric Smith nailed a buzzer-beating three pointer, a couple of feet away from the half court line. The shot had a set 14-17 score in favor of the Red Devils.
Smith led the Aucs in scoring with a game high 17 points. Senior forward Seqwan McFarland ran off 11 points in the third quarter, and finished with 16 points.
Down for the majority of the game, Mullins took a 35-34 lead after a three pointer from McFarland at the 5:17 mark. The game was tied 53-53 with 2:37 remaining in the game. Gerald said a trapping defensive call during the final minutes resulted in the turnovers they needed, along with late game free throws from Darnell Coleman, Donte Cooper, and McFarland.
“Just a great effort. I love these kids; they never gave up … I’m just proud of them.” Gerald said.
Mullins took over and maintained their lead for the final minute. Stacy Wilson added 12 points for Mullins along with two big three pointers from Jeremy Leggett.
Coach Gerald was proud of the way his kids responded to their biggest challenge. His players said they were very relieved. “This year is destiny,” Leggett said. McFarland said the squad shoot for nearly an hour in practice and that it all came in handy.
Mullins will face Southside Class 2A upper state championship game.
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