Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Panthers scare Lakewood

Plant takes the Spartans into overtime, but the visitors, ranked second in the state, take control down the stretch for the win.

By EMILY NIPPS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 27, 2002

TAMPA -- A few misses and bumps by Lakewood in overtime against Plant, and the game might have swung the other way.

Lakewood didn't get to be 31-2 by missing, though. Fittingly, Lakewood's first and final field goals of overtime were emphatic dunks -- by senior Marcus Morrison and junior Brian Ligon -- and the Panthers had four minutes to let the region semifinal loss sink in.

The final was 71-63 Lakewood in what Spartans senior forward Korey Crumbley described as his team's "toughest playoff game yet."

The frenzied crowd of nearly 2,000 in Plant's gym didn't rattle the Spartans much, and the Panthers' defensive strength came as no surprise.

Still, "They were better than we thought they were," Crumbley said. "We thought this would be an easier game for us."

With three seconds left in the fourth quarter, Plant junior Jonathan Seber tied the game with a layup.

On Lakewood's throw-in, Panthers senior Michael Cincunegui stole the ball, and the Spartans could barely look as Tyler Azzarelli attempted a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Plant senior Mike Williams (14 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals) had fouled out by then, which helped the Spartans take control and do what they do best. They forced turnover after turnover, and ran like crazy.

"We had it under control in overtime," Lakewood coach Dan Wright said. "It was uncharacteristic for us to have as many turnovers as we did earlier in the game."

The Panthers (25-6) seemed resigned to their loss in the final minute of the game.

After the buzzer, Plant's five starting seniors shed a few collective tears as they were surrounded by their support group, some of whom wore gold tinsel wigs and black face-paint.

"If it ain't meant to be, it ain't meant to be," Williams said.

"We had our sights set on beating Lakewood this year. But reality is, even goals you make for yourself don't fall through sometimes."

The Spartans took home some lessons of their own.

"We learned how to play on the press and hit free throws down the stretch," Morrison said. "That made a huge difference, the free throws."

The Panthers were 4-of-11 from the line, while the Spartans made 15 of their 20.

"I felt like we really kept the game under control and showed good character," Lakewood coach Dan Wright said. "This building is awful hot, and they were starting to show fatigue."

Lakewood's Morrison's scored 22 points to lead the game, while senior Kevin Dorsey scored 20.

The Panthers were led by Azzarelli's 20 points. Brad Birrenkott had 11 points and nine rebounds.

"We played as hard as we could," Azzarelli said. "I definitely have mixed emotions. I'm really, really upset, but I'm proud of my team and coaches."

Lakewood advances to host Lakeland Kathleen, which defeated Lehigh on Tuesday 86-60, in the regional final on Saturday at 7:30.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright