Day two of the 2012 State Finals at the Lakeland Center provided the fans with plenty of action. There were some unbelievable individual efforts in addition to some head-scratching situations; one of them included our very own Berkeley Prep, who got outscored 41-15 in the final two periods of play to lose to Pine Crest 64-51 in the 4A Semifinals. Berkeley at one point was leading the game 41-24.
The Panthers (making their 6th consecutive appearance in Lakeland) only shot 33% from the field in the first half, but doubled that to 66% in the 2nd half. Conversely, it was Berkeley Prep shooting at a lights-out clip of 58% in the first half and following that up with a 22% performance to finish the game only 42% from the field.
The Bucs were putting on a clinic in the first half in ball movement with phenomenal high-low pressure in the halfcourt contesting everything that Pine Crest put up. They were also unmatched through the first two periods in their efficiency on offense getting great dribble-drive penetration from their guards getting high percentage shots inside the paint.
All of that fell apart however as Pine Crest went on a 17-2 run midway through the 3rd Quarter while BP’s Justin Gray sat on the bench with four fouls. Gray led the Bucs with 17 points. Pine Crest was led by Northwestern Football Commit Traveon Henry (who also broke Kentucky’s Brandon Knight assist record this season) with 11 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Berkeley ends the season with a 23-8 record, while Pine Crest (23-7) faces Lake Highland Prep in the 4A Finals tomorrow at 2:30. The Highlanders defeated Godby 70-51 in the other semifinal.
Lake Highland Prep was led by Joel Barry’s 29 points while Landon Stokes added 14. The Highlanders are coached by former Brandon High School, Vanderbilt and Orlando Magic star Jeff Turner. LHP used their guard play to dominate the Cougars in the transition game. Their biggest run came in the 2nd Quarter when they effectively put Godby out of reach outscoring the Cougars 18-7 in the quarter followed by a 19-10 margin in the 3rd. Godby was led by Alex Andrews’ 20 points in the losing effort.
In the 2A Finals, it was Orlando Christian Prep in a low-scoring affair over Champagnat Catholic by a 48-29 margin. OCP were able to neutralize Champagnat’s Center Tonye Jekiri, (a Miami Commit) even though he still managed to put up 12 points and 10 rebounds. He was the only offense for the Crusaders as they couldn’t find the answer for OCP’s Jordan Montgomery (12pts, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Isaac Cohen’s 10 points and 14 rebounds, or Dre Clayton’s 12 points and 6 rebounds. Champagnat ends the season with a 25-5 record, while Orlando Christian Prep finished at 28-4.
The first game of the day saw Chipley crowned as the 1A State Champions by virtue of a 71-48 rout of Hawthorne. Cameron Dozier led the way with 23 points and 6 assists along with Alex Hamilton’s 16 points and 8 assists. Hawthorne had 2 players in double-figures as well. Leamon Wilson poured in 18n points matching his output from the first semifinal game against Union County, while Alex Hamilton threw down 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Schedule for Thursday, March 1st:
3A Final: Tampa Prep vs. Sagemont 10:05a.m.
4A Final: Pine Crest vs. Lake Highland Prep (2:30p.m.)
5A Semis: Nature Coast vs. Terry Parker (6:00p.m.)
5A Semis: American Heritage-Plantation vs. Lake Wales (7:30p.m.)