Incredible comeback in final seconds seals Stranahan’s fourth state boys’ hoops title
It was a lesson to never give up.
Stranahan’s boys’ basketball team could have easily done that down six points with only 16.2 seconds remaining.
The Mighty Dragons are state champions again because they didn’t.
Stranahan scored seven points over the next 10 seconds and hung on for an incredible 63-62 comeback win over St. Petersburg Gibbs in the Class 4A state championship game at the RP Funding Center.
Stranahan 6-foot, 9-inch junior center Isaiah Brown’s put back score with six seconds remaining delivered the winning points. With the clock never stopping on the score, Gibbs quickly inbounded the ball and Mathis Roberts tried to get up a desperation shot just past halfcourt, but missed badly, sending the Mighty Dragons players and coaches into a frenzied celebration on the court.
“We always teach them there’s always time on the clock and to never give up,” Stranahan coach Edward Schuler said.
Stranahan’s fourth state title puts it in elite company among Broward County public schools as the only the third to win four or more championships.
“It feels good to sit at the big table and eat a steak sometimes,” Schuler said. “We ate catfish for a long time, but since 2019, we’ve now got four…Wow, I get emotional just thinking about it.”
Brown’s score capped an improbable sequence that delivered Stranahan (25-7) its fourth state title in a seven-year span and first since 2022.
Gibbs (27-5) appeared to have back-to-back state titles nearly wrapped up, leading 62-56.
That’s when sophomore guard Damari Foster saved Stranahan’s season.
Foster hit a three-pointer with 16.2 seconds left to cut the deficit to 62-59 and Stranahan called timeout.
Then things got really crazy.
Roberts missed teammate Oneal Delancey with the ensuing inbounds pass turning the ball over to the Mighty Dragons.
Foster was then fouled while shooting a three with 11.8 seconds left, giving him three free throw attempts.
Foster made the first two…and then missed the third.
But junior Christian Yeargin came up with the rebound and just as he was falling out of bounds fired it back into the paint to Brown, who was right underneath the basket. Brown took a slight step back and dropped the ball right in the hoop.
“I really didn’t know how much time we had left so I just went up and put it in and the rest is history,” Brown said. “Biggest shot of my life.”
Stranahan led by 10 points with 2:31 left in the second quarter before Gibbs used a 20-7 surge to overtake by the end of the third.
Gibbs’ Isaiah Medina’s layup with 32 seconds left gave the Gladiators a six-point lead before Stranahan mounted its comeback. Gibbs led by eight with 1:25 remaining as well.
It didn’t matter to Stranahan.
Brown only scored five points in the game. The final two came on a score Brown said he’ll cherish the rest of his life.
“The lights were getting real dark, but we had to keep moving and turn them back on,” said Brown, who couldn’t hold back the tears when reflecting on the accomplishment. “We did it.”
Yeargin scored a game-high 21 points and had six rebounds and four assists. After the game, as he and his players celebrated, Yeargin carried a picture cutout of himself and his late brother, Jakhari Fye, who passed away from a rare medical condition at age 16 in 2020. Fye was a beloved member of Stranahan’s 2020 state championship team, which was the second of its four championships.
“This is all that matters right here,” Yeargin said pointing at the picture. “He came to Stranahan like me, played for all the same coaches like me and won a state championship like me. I did this for him.”
Brown’s score won it, but Stranahan didn’t get there without Foster’s heroics, which capped an 18-point, five-assist game.
And the best part for the Mighty Dragons is that they graduate only one senior - guard Esron Simeon, which gives them a realistic chance of repeating next season.
“It was real crazy, but all season we knew we might be in a situation like that and we were ready,” Foster said. “I wasn’t that nervous (at the foul line) because my coach just said to lock in and I did. I’m really proud of Isaiah. He’s come a long way. This feels amazing.”
