When some of Cosby’s starters went to the bench in the first half to catch a breather, Meadowbrook coach Ksaan Brown knew his plan was working.
Cosby has strong marksmen and is adept at finding its shot. So Brown decided to pressure the Titans with a full-court man-to-man defense and tire them out.
Ahmed Fofana scored 30 points, Brandon Cheeks added 27 and visiting Meadowbrook outran Cosby 87-79 Monday night in the first round of the Central Region playoffs.
Meadowbrook (15-9), the No. 3 seed from the Central District, advances to play Henrico today. Cosby, the No. 2 seed from the Dominion, ends its season with a 19-7 record.
Struggling to keep pace with the Monarchs, Cosby committed 19 turnovers, compared to only 11 by Meadowbrook.
“If it was a half-court game, we were going to lose,” Brown said. “We’re more of a helter-skelter team.”
Cosby junior Troy Caupain scored 34 points, including 12 in the third quarter. For a few minutes in the second half, it looked as if Caupain would single-handedly lead the Titans back into the game.
“He’s done that all year,” Cosby coach Ron Carr said. “I don’t think that would have surprised anybody.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Caupain leaped to intercept an inbound pass and hit a layup. That was part of an 11-0 run by Cosby that brought the Titans within three points of Meadowbrook.
But then Fofana hit a 3-pointer, then another just a few minutes later bring to Meadowbrook’s lead to eight.
Cosby started fouling Meadowbrook with about two minutes left in the game. The Monarchs converted 11 of 17 free throws, which was enough to keep them ahead.
Since starting the season 3-6, the Monarchs have gone 12-3. Brown says the low point came in early January, when they lost to Petersburg by 30 points. At that point, Brown decided to switch up the roster and start more of his younger players.
“We’re a new team since that Petersburg loss,” Fofana said.
Carr said he hoped his team wouldn’t let this game define their season. The Titans were an overachieving team, he added.
Cosby lost its two best players from a year ago, Nick Gorski and Nick Coppola, who transferred to Benedictine. That forced the Titans to adjust who would play and where they would play. By January, Carr said, his team had figured it out.
Caupain had a breakout season. A year ago, a casual basketball fan would not have known his name. Now, as a junior, he’s one of the best players in the region. He’s gotten scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Southern California and Missouri.
Caupain set the school record for points in a game with 48 and rebounds in a game with 22.
“He did it consistently game after game,” Carr said. “He wasn’t selfish doing it.”
ekolenich@timesdispatch.com
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