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Preps

TBT's rally falls short in loss to Southeast

CLASS 4A: A two-point second quarter creates a hole the Titans can't dig out of for a 58-43 defeat.

By ANTHONY GAGLIANO
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 26, 2003

BRADENTON -- In the end, there was too much pressure on Tampa Bay Tech.

Whether it was playing from behind the entire game or the tenacious Bradenton Southeast defense, TBT could not hang on as Southeast advanced to Saturday's region final with a 58-43 victory Tuesday.

"We turned the ball over even when they weren't putting their press on," TBT coach Heather Glezen said. "And we're not used to playing from behind like that."

The Seminoles' suffocating defense hit its peak during the second quarter, swarming to the ball as the Titans committed nine turnovers.

Southeast (29-3) opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run after the Seminoles opened the game with a 6-0 run. Teyaqua Gunn finally ended the run with a basket underneath to cut the deficit to 28-19.

But those were the Titans' only points of the quarter.

"They just outplayed us in that second quarter," Glezen said. "We're not used to people putting that much pressure on us. Pressure and pushing the ball up the court is usually our style."

Southeast capitalized on TBT's miscues behind its towering front line. Depree Bowden had nine rebounds and six points during the first half, and Sharielle Smith supplied the scoring, almost matching the Titans' first-half output with 16.

The biggest Seminole, 6-foot-1 center Briana Phillips, was hampered by two first-quarter fouls but still had seven points before the break as Southeast led 33-19 at halftime.

The trio combined for 48 of Southeast's 58 points.

Rebecca Barnes single-handedly tried to rally the Titans, scoring eight consecutive points during the third, including back-to-back 3-pointers, to get TBT (23-4) to within six 2:10 into the quarter.

However, Barnes failed to score another point, leaving her with a team-high 14.

The Titans also had trouble getting leading scorer Chichi Okpaleke into the game as she finished with 12 points. But those points came in large part due to her free-throw shooting (10-of-10).

The Titans narrowed the gap to 47-41 after scoring four consecutive points, but poor shot selection and more tough Southeast defense allowed the Seminoles to close the game with a 11-2 run.

"In some spurts, we looked scared," Glezen said. "We showed our inexperience. It was too much too fast.

"Rather than relaxing and playing our game, we played theirs."

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