Will Fowler takes over, pulls Byrnes past Dorman for first region title since 2016

The Runnin’ Rebels celebrate and pose for pictures after cutting down the nets. Byrnes defeated Dorman 56-53 on senior night to claim the program’s first region championship since 2016.

Since Will Fowler was a boy, he’d dreamed of a moment like this one.

Friends, family, and fans mobbed Fowler after Friday night’s game against Dorman. Fowler scored 22 points to lead the Runnin’ Rebels to a come-from-behind 56-53 victory over the Cavaliers as Byrnes completed a season sweep of Dorman for the first time in over 20 years.

The win also clinched Byrnes its first region title since 2016.

“[Winning the region] is one of the things I’ve wanted to accomplish since I first got here,” said Fowler. “To see it all coming true, it’s amazing.

With Byrnes down 47-38 heading into the fourth quarter, all momentum seemed to be lost. Dorman completed a four-point play at the third-quarter buzzer to push the lead to nine. The visiting students erupted.

In the huddle, Byrnes head coach Layne Fowler cut through the loud noise. He delivered his team a message and lifted their heads from the floor.

“We’re going to go out there, win this quarter, win this game, and we’re going to cut down the nets after the game,” Layne told his team.

“Coach told us that while we were down nine,” said Byrnes center Evan Enos. “He literally told us at that point that we were going to come back and cut the nets down. That gave us a lot of confidence heading into the fourth quarter.”

The message didn’t fall on deaf ears with Enos, as Byrnes’ star big man came out firing in the final frame. He connected on back-to-back three-pointers and hit two big free throws to bring the Runnin’ Rebels within two points at 48-46.

That brought the home crowd back into the game.

“It’s always that ‘next play’ mentality with us,” said Enos. “We were down a little after that third quarter. But even if we didn’t win, I knew we were going to come back strong in the final quarter and make it close.”

Enos scored Byrnes’ eight points in the fourth quarter.

Will scored the team’s final ten.

The Runnin’ Rebels senior guard put the game on his shoulders when it mattered most.

Will drilled a three-pointer to bring the Rebel deficit to just one at 50-49. Two possessions later, he converted a fast-break layup to tie the game at 53. His younger brother, Colt, forced a steal at half-court on the following possession and fed the ball ahead to Will, who drilled another layup through contact. Byrnes had its first lead since the first quarter at 55-53.

If that wasn’t enough, Will came up with the game-sealing steal just moments later and drilled a free throw to ice the win.

Fowler scored 22 points in the Runnin’ Rebels win. The senior scored his 1,000th point during the game as well.

“At that point in the game, I wanted Will to have the basketball,” said Layne. “Everyone on the team trusts him in those kinds of situations. He’s the kind of guy you hate to play against but love to have on your team. I didn’t expect anything different from Will than what he did tonight.”

Will couldn’t have picked a more appropriate game to show out. It was senior night at Byrnes, and before the game, he was escorted to the floor by Layne and his mother, Missy, who’s also the coach of the Lady Rebel basketball team.

“My family is everything to me,” said Will. “Sharing that moment with them meant a lot.”

With a basket late in the first quarter, Will also scored his 1,000th career point for Byrnes. He was honored after the game. Runnin’ Rebel faithful stuck around long after the game to cheer on Will and the team.

“Shout out to the fans tonight, they were electric,” said Will. “Normally, I’m so focused on the game that I drown the noise out and don’t really hear anything. But they were so loud for us tonight.”

Those fans hung around to watch head coach Layne Fowler’s manifestation come true as the Runnin’ Rebels did indeed cut down the nets, claiming their first region championship in eight years.

It had been a long time coming for Layne, who was all smiles and embracing his son after the game. He wore the cut-down net around his neck as he posed for pictures with his team.

“I just think this is so cool for these kids to have this experience,” said Layne. “They’re going to keep this and have this memory forever.”