‘Beast on the boards’: Auburn boys basketball finds extra lift from senior forward

WAVERLY — Grant Dobson tried wrestling for a change last year.

“Wrestling was fun, but I definitely realized I was better at basketball,” Dobson said.

The senior forward perfectly complements Auburn’s wealth of talented guards with his size and strength around the paint.

“He’s a beast on the boards,” junior guard Cooper Carter said. “We love having him out there. Him and (Clayton) Kessler down there, it’s tough to guard. He’s real aggressive. I feel like anything in the air, he’s going to get it.”

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Dobson registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds earlier this season in a signature 64-52 nonconference win over previously unbeaten Calvary at Doglio Gym on Dec. 19.

He has upheld that physical presence during the Waverly Holiday Tournament, producing at least nine points in the team’s run to the championship game against Winchester West Central.

Auburn (12-1) will make its first final appearance at Jim Roeschley Gymnasium since 2009 – which resulted in the program’s last title in a 62-52 victory over Franklin – on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Cougars previously won the tournament in 2019.

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Dobson just needs to avoid foul trouble and dial down that insatiable appetite for seeking out contact. That intensity especially stems from football.

He was voted all-Sangamo Conference first team as a defensive end for a second consecutive season with 72 tackles, including 15 for loss.

He also had two forced fumbles, three blocked punts and two blocked PATs – not to mention one blocked field goal. He also earned an honorable mention as a tight end for the Trojans.

His agile teammates move at a fast pace, but basketball seems to come easier after a year of wrestling.

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“It gets tiring sometimes running down the court with all of the small guys,” Dobson said, “but it helps in practice getting in shape and conditioning. We run full court in practice a lot, it helps us out with the game.”

They also have a seamless connection that stretches back to middle school, and their balanced offense reflects their strong team chemistry.

In their first three games in the tournament, a new leading scorer ascended to the forefront. Junior guard Cooper Carter led the Trojans in a 65-45 win over Raymond Lincolnwood with five 3-pointers and 20 points, followed by senior guard Sawyer Smith (10 points) in a 50-37 win over Athens and junior guard Carter Hunley (17 points) in a 63-45 win over South County.

“We like to move the ball around,” Carter said. “We don’t care who’s our leading scorer. We just come out and try to win.”

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Through the team’s first 13 games, five different players averaged at least seven points per game: Hunley (11.5), Carter (10.5), junior forward Clayton Kessler (9), Dobson (7.7) and Smith (7.5). Dobson and Kessler also averaged 6.2 and 5.8 rebounds per game, respectively, ahead of the Waverly slate.

“This is about as selfless as a group I’ve ever been around and we’ve got a number of guys who can handle the ball and have good size that creates some mismatches against other teams,” Auburn coach Seth McCoy said. “They’re just warriors.”

Auburn graduated a couple of key seniors from last year: Nathan Barth and Jackson Kern.

Carter has more than flourished in Barth’s place as a potent scorer and deft ball-handler. Carter said he learned plenty from the elder Barth.

“He taught me how to be a better teammate and a better person in general,” Carter said. “He’s a great guy.”

WINCHESTER WEST CENTRAL 45, NEW BERLIN 25: The Cougars limited New Berlin to just one field in all but just one quarter to advance to the championship game on Friday.

West Central led 34-21 by the end of the third period. Zack Evans led the Cougars with 14 points.

Lucas Bixby paced New Berlin with nine points.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Grant Dobson’s return stokes hot start for Auburn boys basketball