Gator teams' time to shine

Winning basketball games at Goose Creek High School has become so routine that sometimes major milestones go unnoticed.

Take boys basketball coach Brad Dobbels, for example.

He guided the team to the Class AAAA state championship last March, then spent most of this season focused on finding the right chemistry, the right starting combination to make a deep playoff run. He stresses teamwork and asks his players to check their egos at the door, so it was no surprise that he kept a low profile when he recorded his 300th career victory earlier this season.

When Dobbels talks about basketball, he talks about team accomplishments.

And, he has a lot to talk about.

Both the boys and girls programs have been models of consistency and championships, and it comes to a climax tonight when The Citadel's McAlister's Field House will become the Gator Dome as Goose Creek celebrates one its biggest basketball days in school history as both the boys and girls teams compete in the Class AAAA Lower State Championships.

The Goose Creek girls, coached by Tim Baldwin, play Dutch Fork at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the March 5 state championship game at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

At 8:30 p.m., the Gator boys play Lexington, and the winner earns a spot in the state championship game.

"We're hoping for a big crowd," said Dobbels, whose team enters with a 23-3 record and is 50-5 the past two seasons. "It would be nice to see 5,000 to 6,000 fans to cheer us on."

The boys will watch part of the girls game in the stands until it is time to get ready for the nightcap.

"The girls have had a tremendous year," Dobbels said. "They have played great basketball this season. The guys get motivated when they watch the girls play. They want to match their success."

Dobbels has been one of the best basketball hires the Lowcountry has ever witnessed. He took the Gators to the Lower State championship in 2001 and has tallied five trips to the game in nine years. He's taken two teams to the ultimate game and has come away a winner one time. The Gators captured the state title last year with a 63-58 victory over Gaffney as Philip Jenkins scorched the nets for 33 points.

Jenkins graduated, so it was time for a new cast, headed by DeVontae Wright, a guard talented enough to earn a scholarship to The Citadel.

"We have guys who come into the program and they stay in the shadow until it is their time," Dobbels said. "We have kids who could go to other schools and score a lot of points. But here, we talk about being good teammates, to be good servants and to bide their time. Our kids don't worry about how many points they score as individuals. They worry about wins and losses."

Wright leads the team with 15.4 points per game. Raemond Robinson averages 8.8, James Robinson, 8.2, Louis Williams, 8.1 and Brandon Shell 7.7.

The Gators girls also have had a splendid season after dropping a heartbreaking 46-41 decision to Orangeburg-Wilkinson in last year's Lower State championship. The Gators, who finished with a 26-2 record, hit only 11 of 23 from the foul line in the loss.

The Gators are 25-1 this season and are coming off a 46-43 victory over Hartsville in the third round. The Gators have already defeated Dutch Fork this season, posting a 57-46 decision.

Baldwin has been coaching the team for nine years and owns a 192-50 record. His teams have won five of the last six region championships and are making their third appearance in the Lower State championship in four years.

"There's definitely some competition between the boys and girls," Baldwin said. "We're always trying to outdo each other. It's funny because Brad, his assistant, Tyrone Grant, me and my assistant Calvin Davis all went to Baptist College/Charleston Southern. We keep on each other all the time."

And in a week, the Gators could be on top of the basketball world in South Carolina.