LARGO - St. Petersburg Catholic, a Class 3A team, started its season with a 63-55 victory against Largo, a 5A team.
"The difference in classes means nothing to us," St. Petersburg Catholic coach Mike Moran said. "We feel good to come into their gym and come away with a win. We set up our schedule so we play as good as teams as we can.
"The first game, things were a little shaky. But you kind of have to expect that. The grind has begun."
The Barons led 14-5 after the first quarter. But behind the shooting of Fred Marshall, the Packers overcame the deficit by scoring 30 points in the second quarter. Marshall scored 14 of his game-high 16 points during the quarter.
St. Petersburg Catholic found consistency where Largo lacked, scoring 14 points in each of the first three quarters.
After leading 35-28 at halftime, Largo (1-1) returned to its first-quarter form, scoring only six points. St. Petersburg Catholic jumped back on top as Joey Baker made a layup at the buzzer to make it 42-41.
From there, the Barons did not trail. Baker also made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to keep Largo at bay. Largo kept the game close, often trailing by only one. But baskets by Travis Karto, Carl Teague and Billy Tapp helped St. Petersburg Catholic increase the lead to six.
Grady Jorgenson made two free throws, his only points of the game, to give the Barons an eight-point lead with 51 seconds left to seal the victory.
Three Barons scored in double figures. Aaron Holmes led them with 15 points. Karto added 13 and Tapp 11.
Largo also had three players score in double figures, Besides Marshall, Nate Johnson and Trevor Bing scored 11.
