| Tampa, FL – The chants of “It’s great to be a Cham-ber-lain Chief!” rang out as Head Coach Christopher Snyder shook hands with the Port Charlotte Pirates players and coaches after his team reached a 64-51 decision in the First Round of the 5A Regional Quarterfinals. The Chiefs were buoyed by the combination of Senior Guard Eric Storts with 27 and Sophomore Guard Reggie Hart with 28 points.”Players play, and talkers talk I told the guys in the huddle after the technicals,” said Snyder. “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Eric Storts is the most underrated player in Hillsborough County.” Strong words, but justifiable after performances of 22, 26, and 27 points respectively against King, Sickles, and now Port Charlotte.
The 6’3″ Senior is built like a Free Safety, crashes the boards like a 6’9″ Power Forward, and has a basketball IQ that is immeasurable. “He plays so much bigger than he is because he’s so wide up top. I’d take that kid into battle with me anywhere.” The game was back-and-forth for three quarters until a 10-0 run anchored by 2 Technical Fouls on the Pirates spelled doom. Reggie Hart stepped up and and buried all 4 Free-Throws and that made the score 51-37. From there, it was the Storts and Hart show. At one point, the tandem had scored 20 straight point for the Chiefs. It’s back to the grind for Chamberlain as they will face newly minted rival Sickles for a fourth time this season. Chamberlain is 2-1 including a thrilling one-point win in last week’s District Tournament. Sickles is feeling momentum themselves after upsetting 24-1 Charlotte High School this evening in Punta Gorda. When asked about the matchup, Snyder acknowledged there’s some bad blood between the two teams. “It’s friendly between Coach (Renaldo) Garcia and myself. The players have made this one a little more personal and said this has become our rival.” Chamberlain will host Sickles on Tuesday Night at Chamberlain in the 5A Regional Semifinals at Chamberlain. |