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IRC ends Admiral Farragut's run

The Golden Eagles use 3-pointers to slam the door on a Blue Jackets rally for a 69-52 win.

By JOHN C. COTEY, BOB PUTNAM and AARON THOMAS
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 27, 2002

LARGO -- Indian Rocks Christian coach Joe Frost knew Justin Bailey was fearless the first time he saw the sophomore shoot a basketball.

"You didn't have to tell him to take the shot," Frost said. "He wasn't afraid to put it up."

Frost is thankful for that lack of fear. With Admiral Farragut charging back, it was Bailey's 3-pointer at the buzzer in the third quarter that held them off as the Golden Eagles with a 69-52 win.

Trailing by 15 at halftime, Admiral Farragut (24-7) used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to get back in the game. With 10 seconds left in the quarter, Emery Anderson drilled a 3-pointer cut the lead to 44-39 and give the Blue Jackets momentum heading into the fourth.

But Bailey's 3-pointer at the buzzer changed all that.

"That was a crucial, crucial, crucial 3," Frost said.

Another Bailey 3-pointer pushed the lead to 52-43 early in the fourth, and he added three free throws, a layup and a final 3-pointer to finish with 19 points -- 14 coming in the final 8:01.

"My confidence is really high now," Bailey said. "I had a bad slump early at the beginning of the season, but I came out of it. Now, I'm playing better in the bigger games."

Bailey was a perfect 4 for 4 from beyond the arc as the Golden Eagles (31-3) made nine 3-pointers.

Gabe McMillen scored a game-high 28 points and was 11 of 11 from the line, keying a dominant first half for Indian Rocks in which it led by as many as 17 points.

Andres Kirchman and Vitor Boccardo, who scored all 16 of Admiral Farragut's points in the first half, finished with 24 and 11 points, respectively.

2A: Barons bounced

ORLANDO -- St. Petersburg Catholic had three charter buses to accommodate about 150 people who made the trip for Tuesday's regional semifinal game against Orlando Lake Highland Prep.

Aside from the fan support, the Barons did not have much else on their side. Not only did St. Petersburg Catholic lose 62-47, it lost control as coach Mike Moran and player Joey Turner each received two technical fouls in the second half and were ejected.

"It was sad that we weren't able to keep our composure more," said Barons assistant coach Ken Heretick, who coached the remainder of the game. "But it's a big game with a lot of emotion."

The big game also featured big men, the Highlanders' 6-foot-8 Jordan Bartlett and 6-9 Drew Whitaker. The two dominated the boards and allowed Lake Highland to take control early.

"We knew we were going to lose inside," Heretick said. "They outrebounded us and we picked a bad time to start missing our shots."

Led by its inside game, the Highlanders went ahead 34-23 at halftime.

The third quarter got ugly as Moran received two technicals for arguing a call with the officials and was ejected as time expired in the quarter.

The Barons went on a 7-0 run to start the fourth to make it 48-38 but couldn't cut into the deficit any further. Worse, St. Petersburg Catholic had to play the final four minutes without its leading scorer, Mike Heretick, Ken's son, who fouled out with 17 points.

In the final two minutes, Turner received two technical fouls, was ejected and had to be restrained from going after the officials.

"We played a good team that just played better than us tonight," Ken Heretick said.

A: Mustangs stuff Bayshore

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Mustangs knew two keys to victory against Bayshore Christian were shut down Timothy Miller and score as much as they have all season.

The Mustangs held Miller to eight points and 2-of-9 3-point shooting to earn a 93-67 victory. The Mustangs advanced to Saturday's regional final against Indian Rocks Christian.

"We put our best defender on (Miller), and he still did a good job," Mustangs coach Chip McAllister said.

After scoring seven points in the first quarter, Justin Barnaky converted on four of his five 3-pointers in the second quarter in scoring 15. Deon Troupe scored eight of his 11 points in the second quarter, with six coming on dunks.

The Mustangs (27-5) led by 23 at halftime.

"There are some nights where you come out and you're on or off," Barnaky said. "I felt like I was on when I came out into the gym. I was ready to play."

Four players scored in double figures for the Faith Warriors (19-15). Rodney Walton scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half on 9-of-14 shooting. Drew Stenholm added eight of his 13 points, Jared Piazza seven of his 10 points and Philip Brooks made all five of his shots in the second half.

"Miller was shut down for the most part," Faith Warriors coach Dean Keagy said. "But we came out in the second half more relaxed. We are a young team. Next year, hopefully, will be a good year."

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