Battery Creek boys play Academic Magnet Friday for 6-AA title

Friday night was an off night on the Battery Creek boys basketball schedule.

Now it’s the biggest night of the season.

The Dolphins are hosting Academic Magnet at 7 p.m. at Whale Branch with the Region 6-AA championship and the top seed that comes with it in the Class 2-A playoffs.

Both teams finished at 8-2 in the region.

Dolphins head coach Antoine Youmans said the season Academic Magnet has had has been a little unexpected.

“Academic Magnet is a surprise for the whole region in terms of where they are now,” Youmans said. “They always finished near the bottom, but always played tough. They have good shooters and do a good job in their system.”

Youmans said the Dolphins will have to do things differently to get the Raptors out of their comfort zone. They like to like to spread the floor and penetrate.

The teams split this season, with Battery Creek winning the first and academic Magnet winning the second.

The first game, the Dolphins got out to a big lead that they would eventually blow, then closed them out.

In the second game, the Dolphins fell apart late. An intentional foul led to four Raptors points, and a Youmans technical within the next 30 seconds, his first in six seasons, resulted in more points.

“We just couldn’t afford to give them anything at that point,” Youmans said.

This time, Youmans said, to win, BC will have to defend the Academic Magnet post players a little better and rebound better.

“If we do that, we set ourselves up for a good win,” he said.

The top seed that comes with the region crown “means everything,” Youmans said.

“Otherwise, if you win, you have to go on the road in the second round,” he said. “It makes a big difference to be at home on your court and not have to take that long ride anywhere. It takes some players out of their comfort zone.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 7:33 PM with the headline "Battery Creek boys play Academic Magnet Friday for 6-AA title."