Blessed Trinity Rebounds With Successful Season

By Mike Blum

After back-to-back 20-plus win seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15, the Blessed Trinity Titans boys basketball team fell back to 13-14 last year and missed out on a state playoff berth.

The Titans have rebounded to post an 18-6 record this season, wrapping up the Region 7-AAAA regular season title with a 49-35 victory over Marist on their home floor to conclude the 2015-16 season.

Blessed Trinity will be the top seed in the region tournament, which begins Feb. 7 at Chestatee. The Titans have a first round bye and will play in the semifinals Feb. 10 against either West Hall or Chestatee.

BT defeated West Hall twice by scores of 50-35 and 52-38, and routed Chestatee by an average of 30 points in two wins over the War Eagles.

The 7-AAAA championship game will be played the night after the semifinals, with the Titans scheduled to play the Marist-White County winner. The Titans went 7-1 in the region, with their only loss at Marist several weeks ago.

Blessed Trinity had no problem avenging that loss in the rematch, which was a battle for the top seed in the region tournament. The Titans allowed just five points in each of the first two quarters to take a 21-10 halftime lead, with the War Eagles scoring almost half their points in the fourth period after the game had been decided.

The Titans have played excellent defense the entire season, allowing more than 60 points in a non-overtime game just once against St. Pius in mid-January. That game was part of a five-day stretch in which BT lost three times.

Prior to this season, Blessed Trinity had been primarily a zone team on defense, according to coach Patrick Hughes, who has spent the last eight seasons as a coach for the Titans – three as head coach – after playing for BT.

“This is the first year we’ve played man to man,” Hughes pointed out. “Traditionally we’ve played zone. I thought we needed a change and decided to challenge the kids.”

The Titans have succeeded defensively despite a lack of height and size inside, with Hughes noting that BT has held its own against taller opponents. The team’s absence of a strong inside defensive presence or a true post player on offense will be among the Titans’ main challenges once they get to state, with the quality of the their defensive play and a patient, balanced offense their primary assets.

Blessed Trinity utilizes a motion offense that includes multiple off-the-ball screens and sharp passing to get good shots, with the Titans relying primarily on three players for most of their scoring.

Guards Ben Shappard and C.J. Abrams and wing Kyle Swade combined for 43 of the team’s 49 points in the win over Marist, and are all averaging between 11 and 13 points a game. Swade, a senior and three-year starter, and Abrams, a talented sophomore, are the Titans’ main outside shooters along with junior Russell Dorvee, with each hitting a pair of three's against Marist.

Abrams shares ball handling duties with Shappard, a junior, with both players looking to get to the basket when possible. Shappard was 10 of 11 at the free throw line against Marist, with the Titans going 12-of-12 in the fourth quarter to preserve a comfortable lead.

Hughes says Abrams has “athletic ability that’s different from anyone else on the team."

"He’s so quick," he added.

The BT coach credits Abrams with making “better decisions” in recent weeks after the three-game losing streak, but notes, “he’s still a sophomore.”

Swade is primarily a perimeter player, but has to help inside as one of the team’s taller players at 6'2''. He scored 15 against Marist and contributed some key defensive rebounds. Dorvee was the only BT player other than Shappard, Swade and Abrams to score against Marist and, according to Hughes, is the team’s most accurate 3-point shooter.

“We’re a pretty balanced team,” Hughes said, with Dorvee and sophomore Andy Swade, Kyle’s younger brother, stepping up at times to share the scoring load with the team’s three main offensive weapons.

Senior Patrick Collar joins Kyle Swade on the inside on defense, and at 6'2'' is also giving away height to most players he matches up against. Collar, Kyle Swade and Will Boyk, who started against Marist, are the team’s only seniors, and Hughes said he “is happy” for the trio that the Titans were able to bounce back from last year’s losing record to enjoy a successful season.

Image via Patch