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Close games don't bother Bogie

GULFPORT -- Boca Ciega coach Randy Shuman has preached all season about the importance of getting a lead and holding it, of finishing teams off, of delivering that killing blow. And yet, his team won't listen.

Shuman provides the proof, reading off the Bogie way of doing things.

"Let's see, here's 81-77, there's a 52-51, a 59-55, 61-58, 60-59, 69-66, 60-56," Shuman said, shaking his head.

"I don't know. I really don't know. Usually you're fortunate to win about 75 percent of those games, and it seems we're winning 100 percent of them."

Tonight in Bradenton, No. 2 Boca Ciega (26-4) will try to extend its luck and its playoff run, which has included a late rally to beat St. Petersburg by six, a nail-biter against East Lake it won by four and Tuesday's 69-65 thriller against Cape Coral Mariner.

The Pirates will meet No. 3 Manatee (26-5) at 7:30 p.m. in the Class 5A, Region 3 championship. The winner advances to the state semifinals in Lakeland next week.

The teams split two regular-season games with Manatee winning the first 57-53 and the Pirates taking the rematch 79-69.

In the second game, the Pirates uncharacteristically pulled away behind 53 combined points from brothers Marquel and Willie Brooks. Otherwise, most of the Pirates' season has been a hodgepodge of cliffhangers.

"It's just one of those stressful things," senior forward Markese Bush said. "If we get up, we seem to get lazy and let the other team back."

"It's just a habit," said Marquel Brooks, the team's leading scorer.

A bad one, says Shuman, but who can argue with the results? The Pirates are 12-4 in games decided by six points or less, 4-1 in games decided by four points.

Considering the Pirates (26-4) struggle so much on offense -- once shooting 1 for 27 from 3-point range and having other games of 2-for-17, 1-for-14 and 0-for-13 efforts -- it's amazing Boca Ciega has made it this far. Or maybe not.

Boca Ciega isn't winning on last-second shots or bursts of offense but with a defense that might be the county's best next to Lakewood.

"They keep putting so much pressure on themselves to get that one big stop," Shuman said. "Except for the other night (when David Kiefer hit, of all things, a game-winning 3-pointer), all the other times it's been one great stoppage. There's always somebody that comes up with it.

"We are the Tampa Bay Bucs of high school basketball. We'd rather be on defense."

Most of the offense is provided by Willie Brooks (an outside shooter) and Marquel Brooks, one of the best 6-foot-4 inside players around. Though almost always giving away 4 or 5 inches to his opponent, Marquel Brooks has excelled inside and averages 18 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Against a 6-foot-10 center Tuesday, he had 21 points. He scored 31 against Lakewood's 6-8 center Brian Ligon, and 31 against Manatee's front line of 6-8 and 6-7 players.

That effort has clearly lifted the Pirates to another level. In summer ball, particularly the Northeast league, the Pirates were dreadful. Bush said he thinks they won just once in eight games. But once the Brooks brothers transferred from Gibbs and talented freshman Lewis Lampley started school, the pieces fell into place.

With each victory came confidence, with each nail-biter a swagger. The players' ability to deal with the pressure has made close games no big deal. For the players at least.

"You get in the huddle and look at them and there's no panic," Shuman said. "Whether I have them confused or they're too busy thinking about other stuff, I don't know. But I know it's nerve-wracking to me."

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