TAMPA — “It doesn’t do us much good just to play national teams. It would be good to win one.”
Well, Tampa Catholic head coach Don Dziagwa finally got his breakthrough in Saturday’s National Hoopfest finale at Berkeley Prep, riding gutsy play from a battle-tested group of seniors to prevail over Huntington St. Joseph Prep, 79-76.
“We’ve played in South Carolina, in New Orleans, last year we went to Las Vegas … we’ve played out there and it’s not likely we’ll be mesmerized by teams with size and length,” Dziagwa said of a squad that played its fourth game against a national top 25 opponent in the 17-8 Irish from West Virginia.
The Crusaders (18-5) came dangerously close to letting the opportunity slip away, seeing a six-point first-quarter lead dissolve into a nine-point deficit (27-18) via six-plus minutes of scoreless ball.
But seniors Alijah Harrison and Kobe Knox wouldn't let that happen.
“Me and Kobe got the team together and told them to keep fighting, keep pushing,” said Harrison, who also got some personal inspiration. “My old friend and high school teammate, Darren Robinson, told me to keep on shooting. I came out and got hot.”
Indeed.
After finishing the first half with four points — the last his 1,000th for his career — Harrison drained a third-quarter 3-pointer and a fast-break layup to get the ball rolling. He and Knox combined for 14 third-quarter points to get the Crusaders within three, then Harrison drained a pair of left elbow 3s and a lay-in as part of a 19-4 run to put Tampa Catholic on top 69-61 with 4½ minutes remaining.
Isaiah Cottrell (26 points) and A.J. Hoggard (13 points and seven assists) pieced together a 13-4 run of their own for what would be the Irish’s last lead of the night with 1:35 remaining.
After a Crusaders timeout, Knox (game-high 25 points) threw down a dunk on a backdoor cut. Knox and Harrison followed with a pair of free throws each, then joined with their teammates to hold Huntington Prep to just two free throws the rest of the way.
“We played Monteverde and IMG early and couldn't get the win,” said Harrison, who finished with 24 points, going 8 of 10 from the field with four 3s. “We needed this. This was a big win for us.”
“These kids have big hearts and showed tons of grit and determination,” concluded Dziagwa. “With the exposure these kids have had, it helped them step up big-time.”
Buccaneers get off the schneid
With the clock ticking down, trailing Cornerstone Christian by a point, Varun Ajjarapu put his trust into the process.
“Coach (Renaldo) Garcia coaches us well,” the senior said. “I know I needed a 3 … I just focused and relied on how I work in games and in practices,”
Drifting to the left sideline, Ajjarapu elevated and calmly drilled the triple with 21 seconds left in the game, and the Buccaneer defense did the rest from there for a satisfying 61-59 triumph.
“I've shot from there before,” said Ajjarapu, who finished with four 3-pointers and a team-high 20 points. “I had confidence that I could hit from there.”
After another frustrating Hoopfest defeat at the hands of Huntington St. Joseph Prep on Friday, this time in overtime, the Buccaneers (18-4) turned around their fortunes against their San Antonio opponent.
Persevering through the back-and-forth contest, Berkeley got crucial first-half contributions from R.J. Garcia (six of his 10 points, six of his seven rebounds) while second-half scoring from C.J. Hawkins (12 points and six rebounds) helped take home the victory.
“This win is pretty huge; the team’s really excited,” Ajjarapu said. “This is a huge momentum boost for us on the road to States. If we listen to Coach, play tough defense, rebound and play hard, we’ll do well.”
Blanch clutch, but East Lake comes up short
It was the style of play Dionte Blanch not only relishes but works hard to succeed at — the tough, physical style of ball he’ll see when he moves on to college ball at Murray State next year.
“I work on it any time I’m able to get into a gym, 24/7,” Blanch said, and his practice was rewarded Saturday despite a 68-56 setback to Orlando Christian Prep.
On the let ’em-play atmosphere against Orlando Christian Prep, Blanch said: “I like playing with referees like that and there’s going to be refs like that at the next level, so I’ve got to be prepared.”
The senior played taller and stronger than his 6-3 frame against the Warriors (20-2), scoring all 23 of the Eagles' fourth-quarter points on a variety of athletic moves. He started the quarter with a steal and dunk, followed with a traditional three-point play then added angular drives to the paint along with four 3-point buckets.
The Eagles (21-2), however, trailed by 12 points (45-33) after three quarters and couldn’t get any closer than six the rest of the way.
Southern Illinois commit Eric Butler (11 points) struck for five points early in the quarter and sophomore A.J. Brown (14 points) scored six points in the final minute to lock up the win for Orlando Christian Prep.
The Warriors were led by Ven Allen Lubin with 24 points and nine rebounds, six off the offensive glass, and Terrance Reese with 10.
Blanch finished with a game-high 35 points on 14 of 23 shooting, adding five steals, four assists and four rebounds.
“We just have to play better defense and execute our 3s,” Blanch said. “We had plenty of possessions and opportunities to get the lead (Saturday).”
Pioneer size too much for Terrapins
In the second of the day's three Tampa Bay-Orlando matchups, a rebuilt Oak Ridge squad two years removed from a state championship toppled a Tampa Prep team that had won 12 of its last 13 games, winning 55-43.
Sporting four key transfers, the Pioneers (14-7) started their season strong before hitting a six-week swoon, breaking even in their last 12 games but excelling against a smaller Terrapin unit.
“Our size is not exactly our strength,” Tampa Prep coach Joe Fenlon said. “With a couple of 6-5 (Oak Ridge) players trapping, it was hard to find things open, and our inside players gravitated out to the perimeter looking for space. That was problematic against a group like that.”
The Pioneers' length and athleticism became too much to overcome as a strong second-quarter start wiped out the Terrapins' four-point advantage with the gap growing throughout the rest of the contest.
Michael James, a mobile 6-5 junior wing, led Oak Ridge with 23 points while classmate Jalen Smith added 16.
Senior Gabriel Sharp (team-high 19 points) and junior Valentino Hart (12 points) paced 19-3 Tampa Prep.
“We worked hard all day and competed, and we want to be consistent with what we do,” Fenlon said. “We won’t be seeing any length like that next week, and we’ve won 19 other times this year.
West Oaks humbles St. Pete
In Saturday's opener, St. Petersburg was hoping West Oaks would be vulnerable after recording a pair of season-defining victories. Apparently not as the Orlando-based Flame ran away to a 84-44 victory.
West Oaks (19-5), the Hoopfest’s top-ranked Florida squad according to MaxPreps, ended national No. 2 Oak Hill of Virginia’s 23-year home win streak last week, then avenged an early-season loss to two-time defending Sunshine Independent champ Gainesville The Rock.
The Flame's zone trap created St. Pete turnovers, highlight-reel dunks from Kobe Gibbs (14 points and six rebounds) and Jadrian Tracey (22 points and eight boards), a 30-point halftime lead and running time by the third quarter.
Game MVP Selton Miguel led West Oaks with six 3-pointers and 32 points along with seven assists. The Green Devils (16-8) were paced by Ferlin Joseph (seven rebounds) and Mari Sherrod with seven points each while Rivers Lenholt added six.
2020-02-02 02:13:00Z
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/high-schools/2020/02/02/tampa-catholic-notches-upset-of-the-weekend-in-national-hoopfest/
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