They knew it would be a tall order. They knew it would be the ultimate David vs. Goliath, but the pages left blank for the fairy tale to be written remained empty as the defending 2A State Champions Sagemont from Weston lead 24-12 after one period and never bothered to even look back cruising to a 71-49 victory at the Lakeland Center.The Lions were led by Columbia signee Jeff Coby, a 6-8 Power Forward with 22 points.

“It was such a tough assignment to prepare to deal with such a unique offense they (Shorecrest) run,” said Lions Head Coach Adam Ross who is seeking back-to-back titles in only his 4th season at the helm for the boys from Broward County. “They average such an absurd amount of made 3’s per game; to hold them to a 2-for-13 performance is just a credit to the way our kids executed on the defensive end of the court, as well as showing the respect that was due to the team we were up against.”

The Lions (24-7) now advance to face Tampa Prep in the 3A Finals on Thursday at 10:05am. The two teams have never met, but each have arguably played some of the toughest schedules that lower schools in the state can possibly face. Tampa Prep has played Berkeley Prep (2x’s with a 2-0 record), Winter Haven (W 75-36) and Lake Wales (L 60-47) this season, all of whom are playing in the final four this week. Sagemont has played teams that are ranked in the Top 20 in the nation from Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York and Cincinnati along with several in-state opponents that are either in Lakeland this week or were regional finalists this season.

If Tampa Prep is going to make it happen Thursday, they’ll have to neutralize Coby who is clearly the top weapon in Ross’ arsenal. “He loves Lakeland. He loves playing in this arena. It’s something about this place. He probably wishes there was a team that played all of their games in this place so that he could come here for college too.”