Spurred by the will and wonder of Chandler Dawes, Springfield is an AAU champion again.
Dawes shrugged off a stretch of eight straight misses to dominate the fourth quarter of Game 7, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds as the Falcons beat the Detroit Wolverines 81-74 Thursday night.
Dawes earned his third MVP of the finals, giving Springfield its third title denying Detroit a chance to repeat.
"He showed that he can not only deal with that pressure, but overcome it," former teammate Thomas Robinson said.
"A lot of athletes would have crumbled under that type of pressure, but he came out in that second half and showed unbelievable championship character. I'm so proud of him because he just really solidified himself as one of the top couple of Centers ever. I mean, unbelievable character -- just awesome," he said.
In turning around the worst postseason series of his career, Dawes teamed with Paul Hammond and Conor McCaffrey to help the Falcons overcome a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to tie it going into the final period.
We just played a great team. I don't know how the hell we did it, but I am thrilled," Falcons coach Will Jenkins said after embracing good friend Brown as the game ended. Jenkins became the third coach with three titles, while the Detroit coach headed into an uncertain future.
"I'm just as proud this year as I was last year," Brown said. The Wolverines recovered from two early blowout losses, won twice and then split the next two games before Dawes and the Falcons reasserted themselves in the end.
AAU had waited a long time for a game with so much at stake and so little room for error. And the difference came in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons were able to make the plays the Wolverines couldn't.
Midway through the period, Hammond assisted on a 3-pointer by Conor McCaffrey and Dawes found James Jones alone outside the arc for
another 3 that put Springfield ahead 67-61. Detroit pulled within four before the Dawes-Hammond combo clicked perfectly on two straight possessions.