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Tigers nip Citrus in overtime

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 1, 2002

DUNNELLON -- It started ugly. A missed layup here. A turnover there. This would be no classic. Or so it seemed.

Fifteen lead changes, several clutch free throws and a running one-handed 3-pointer later, Citrus and Dunnellon found themselves in an overtime thriller. The Tigers pulled it out 92-90 when Jamaal Galloway's 3-point attempt came up short at the buzzer. Afterward, Dunnellon fans stormed the floor and players from both teams gasped for air.

"We lost it at the foul line and had too many turnovers," Galloway said.

Galloway forced overtime with a 3-pointer at the end of regulation. In the extra period, Citrus (19-4, 9-1 in 3A-6) grabbed an 83-82 lead on a Chris Vihrachoff 3-pointer, but Dunnellon quickly regained momentum with a short jumper by Sherwin Gates.

The Tigers (13-8, 6-3) built a 92-87 lead, but missed three of four foul shots down the stretch to open the door for Citrus.

Mike Bass' 3-pointer with 14 seconds left and two Dunnellon misses at the foul line set the stage for Galloway's final fling, which wasn't close.

"I felt like I was fouled, but that's not what lost it," Galloway said.

The Hurricanes killed themselves with 21 turnovers, 14 in the first half. Most came against Dunnellon's fullcourt pressure.

"We just wanted to come out and get up and down the court," Tigers coach Steve Powell said. "If we were going to lose, we were going to lose playing our style."

Dunnellon led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter and by nine at the half. A 9-0 run by Citrus late in the third quarter gave the Hurricanes a 55-53 lead. From that point on, the teams battled neck and neck.

The Tigers were led by Tei Thomas' 25 points. Tim Colombo hit five 3-pointers and added 17 points. Vihrachoff scored 25 and Galloway added 23 for Citrus, which also got 20 from Joel Miller.

"We just weren't playing our game," Citrus center Scotty Johnson said. "We started off slow and never got into it. We played their game, not ours."