By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
For the culture.
For the city.
And especially: For the Bulldogs.
Central capped a dominant week with another blowout win, this time over Glendale in the Gold Division championship game on Friday night at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield.
“We did it for Central culture. We did it for the city,” said Central junior Bryce Walker, who scored a game-high 29. “We proved everyone wrong. We are the best team in the city of Springfield right now.”
For the fourth day in a row, Central dominated from the opening tip and never looked back.
The Bulldogs led by 16 after the first quarter and put things in cruise control on their way to a 77-47 victory over their southside counterparts.
Junior point guard Keion Epps added 24 points for Central, which proved to be on a different level this week.
Central’s average margin of victory in the tournament: A staggering 36.5 points.
“It’s definitely nice for these players, but it’s really nice for the community and the Central fans,” said Central coach Jordan Epps. “They came out. It was a big showing of Central fans that we haven’t seen in the past couple of years. I’m glad we’re giving them something to cheer for and something exciting to watch.”
The victory gives Central (9-2 overall) its first Blue and Gold championship since 1983. The Bulldogs have now won 10 Blue and Gold titles all time, tying them with Glendale for the fourth-most of any school.
“We’ve had so many losing seasons. To finally go out there and get this (title) and bring it back and put a trophy on the shelf, it feels great,” Walker said.
Said Keion Epps: “We’ve been coming to win it since we knew about (the drought).”
Coach Epps said he thanked his players in the postgame locker room for the big accomplishment.
“Not a lot of coaches get to say they won a Blue and Gold championship,” he said. “I hope it’s as special to them as it is to me.”
Only two years ago, many of these same Bulldogs were on the losing end of lopsided games.
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Coach Epps said he threw his young team “into the fire that first year (2021-22),” knowing that better days were ahead. Central finished 8-17 in Epps’ first season but tallied 15 wins in Year Two.
Now, the Bulldogs have rapidly emerged as one of the area’s top programs.
“I just know we’ve been working for it,” Keion Epps said. “When time comes, we show up.”
Walker caught fire in the third quarter, where he scored 17 of his 29 points as Central secured payback for last season’s home loss to Glendale.
The 6’6” post drained three 3-pointers and showed he’s fully recovered from an offseason knee injury.
“I was just out there hooping. I was locked in. I wasn’t really thinking about anything else but ‘go get this win,’” Walker said.
Sophomore point guard Amare Witham led Glendale with 17 points. The Falcons were seeking their first Blue and Gold title since 2010 and 11th overall.
Central returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 2 with a home game versus Republic. Glendale plays at West Plains the same night.
Central 77, Glendale 77
Glendale 4 22 12 9 — 47
Central 20 21 23 13 — 77
Glendale (7-3 overall) – Amare Witham 17, Mar’Kel Houston 9, Ta’Veaion Washington 8, Anthony Fletcher 5, Brayden Biggers 3, Zach Hawkins 3, Joelle Rover 2
Central (9-2 overall) – Bryce Walker 29, Keion Epps 24, Tyrique Brooks 13, Devin Sanford 9, Tayshaun Wells 2
