To the Final Four: Brookwood storms by Westfield in State Tournament
MACON – The Brookwood Warriors moved past the Westfield Hornets in the Elite 8 of the GIAA Playoffs on Saturday.
The matchup had all the makings of a playoff classic, as both teams battled for position throughout the first half. The Warriors carried a 33-29 lead going into the locker room.
In the second half, Brookwood began to pull away, holding a 40-29 lead with five minutes left in the third. As the period ended, the Warriors held a 10-point lead going into the final quarter.
The matchup had all the makings of a playoff classic, as both teams battled for position throughout the first half. The Warriors carried a 33-29 lead going into the locker room.
In the second half, Brookwood began to pull away, holding a 40-29 lead with five minutes left in the third. As the period ended, the Warriors held a 10-point lead going into the final quarter.
Brookwood held the Hornets at bay throughout the fourth, keeping a double-digit lead with four minutes to go. The Warriors then closed out the game strong, winning 70-49 and advancing to the semifinals.
When talking about if the bye affected the Warriors going into this game, head coach Nate VanDuyne said. “We get in such a habit of being in this rhythm of 2-3 games a week. And then all of a sudden you take about 10 days off, and sometimes, you know, if your team isn’t healthy or you’re experiencing some sickness, that could be great. But I think if you’re playing in a good rhythm, that can almost serve as a momentum stopper. And I think for us, you know; I felt like we’d been playing pretty well. Um, and yeah, I think it just kind of broke our rhythm a little bit. And we just came out and we were pretty sluggish.”
“Credit to Westfield; they played so hard,” VanDuyne said. “I think that’s in the DNA of their program, they’re just physical, tough-nosed, I mean, you kinda see it in the way their football program is, and you see that carry over.”
When talking about if the bye affected the Warriors going into this game, head coach Nate VanDuyne said. “We get in such a habit of being in this rhythm of 2-3 games a week. And then all of a sudden you take about 10 days off, and sometimes, you know, if your team isn’t healthy or you’re experiencing some sickness, that could be great. But I think if you’re playing in a good rhythm, that can almost serve as a momentum stopper. And I think for us, you know; I felt like we’d been playing pretty well. Um, and yeah, I think it just kind of broke our rhythm a little bit. And we just came out and we were pretty sluggish.”
“Credit to Westfield; they played so hard,” VanDuyne said. “I think that’s in the DNA of their program, they’re just physical, tough-nosed, I mean, you kinda see it in the way their football program is, and you see that carry over.”
Continuing, VanDuyne said, “We had 15 turnovers for the game and like 11 of those were in the 1st half. So, I mean, we just came out and just played a pretty poor 1st half, um, and we’re fortunate to find us up 11 at the end of the first. We did a really good job in the 2nd half. I mean, we dominated the glass
and that’s been a huge point in emphasis. like you got to rebound like rebounding wins championships, and we’ve done a really good job of that the last, about the last three, four games, so we’ve done a great job there.”
Roscoe Jones led the offense for Brookwood with 29 points and 11 rebounds.
“Roscoe has done a phenomenal job leading us in a lot of categories,” VanDuyne said. “I mean, he had 29 points and 11 boards. And those numbers just speak for themselves. But I think the best part about that is Roscoe’s scoring 20 plus on maybe 10 shots; that’s incredibly efficient. Like, he’s not only putting up great numbers, but he’s helping his team because of the effectiveness of what he’s doing. He’s not just doing it through shop making it. He’s doing it through rebounding and getting us into transition and getting other guys’ easy looks.”
Roscoe Jones led the offense for Brookwood with 29 points and 11 rebounds.
“Roscoe has done a phenomenal job leading us in a lot of categories,” VanDuyne said. “I mean, he had 29 points and 11 boards. And those numbers just speak for themselves. But I think the best part about that is Roscoe’s scoring 20 plus on maybe 10 shots; that’s incredibly efficient. Like, he’s not only putting up great numbers, but he’s helping his team because of the effectiveness of what he’s doing. He’s not just doing it through shop making it. He’s doing it through rebounding and getting us into transition and getting other guys’ easy looks.”
VanDuyne also mentioned the depth of this team and others have stepped up as well.
“I do think Harrison Chapura has done a great job of just every single time that he comes in at that sixth-man spot, like the energy just goes up,” VanDuye said. “That is an incredible luxury to have as a coach. Like, he may not be the most skilled guy, but he knows who he is. I mean, I can’t think of a better competitor. I mean, his competitiveness is just through the roof. Every time he comes in, every loose ball is ours; every rebound is ours. He just raises the level. A lot of teams don’t have that. So, for us, when and if we do start slow, you know, he comes in and picks it up for us. But if we start well, a lot of times we actually all of a sudden start playing even harder when he does come in.”
He also talked about how each player has stepped up in spots this season.
“I do think collectively we’ve done a really good job of just rallying around each other,” he said. “We talk about Roscoe, but there’s been nights where it’s been Levi (Williams). There’s been nights that’ve been Thomas (Lee), nights that’ve been Jordyn (Jean). Will has had some great nights. I mean, Jackson Horne has come in, and I mean, he had 15 against Tiftarea, you know it’s been one of those things where like that strength in numbers is a real thing. And I think that we have really done a good job of buying into when it’s not your night, like, don’t sulk you know, enjoy that moment for your teammate and we’ve done a really good job of that.”
The Warriors will face off against region foe Valwood in the semifinals on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m.
“I do think Harrison Chapura has done a great job of just every single time that he comes in at that sixth-man spot, like the energy just goes up,” VanDuye said. “That is an incredible luxury to have as a coach. Like, he may not be the most skilled guy, but he knows who he is. I mean, I can’t think of a better competitor. I mean, his competitiveness is just through the roof. Every time he comes in, every loose ball is ours; every rebound is ours. He just raises the level. A lot of teams don’t have that. So, for us, when and if we do start slow, you know, he comes in and picks it up for us. But if we start well, a lot of times we actually all of a sudden start playing even harder when he does come in.”
He also talked about how each player has stepped up in spots this season.
“I do think collectively we’ve done a really good job of just rallying around each other,” he said. “We talk about Roscoe, but there’s been nights where it’s been Levi (Williams). There’s been nights that’ve been Thomas (Lee), nights that’ve been Jordyn (Jean). Will has had some great nights. I mean, Jackson Horne has come in, and I mean, he had 15 against Tiftarea, you know it’s been one of those things where like that strength in numbers is a real thing. And I think that we have really done a good job of buying into when it’s not your night, like, don’t sulk you know, enjoy that moment for your teammate and we’ve done a really good job of that.”
The Warriors will face off against region foe Valwood in the semifinals on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Read more at: https://timesenterprise.com/2026/02/24/to-the-final-four-brookwood-storms-by-westfield-in-state-tournament/
Brookwood School
Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.