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CHARLES CARDWELLLakewood leads by as much as 23 early and coasts to 75-63 win over Bradenton Southeast.
ST. PETERSBURG - Lakewood jumped to a huge lead, then survived a late threat by Bradenton Southeast to win 75-63 in its season opener Wednesday night.
The Spartans led 11-3, then went on a 12-2 run capped by Rashaan Stone's 3-pointer at the buzzer. With a minute remaining in the first quarter, Brian Caruthers found Sean Morrison near the basket for a monster alley-oop, bringing the crowd to its feet.
Morrison scored 10 in the first half to lead the Spartans to a 50-27 halftime lead.
"Not once did we expect to be up by 23 points at halftime. It's just something that happened," Lakewood coach Daniel Wright said.
Bradenton Southeast (1-1) came out of halftime strong, outscoring Lakewood 19-12 in the third.
The Seminoles got as close as 11 in the fourth. However, Caruthers' three late free throws kept Southeast at bay, sealing the victory for the Spartans.
Ten Spartans scored, three in double figures. Mario Telfiar led with 16 points and Coryon Ross added 13.
Southeast's Josh Daniels scored five in the fourth to give him a game-high 21.
"There's still a lot we have to focus on," Wright said. "The biggest thing is consistency and the protection of the basketball."
"I can definitely tell you if we came out aggressive, it would have been different," Southeast coach Elliot Washington said. "It's definitely a plus to play a team like Lakewood. It will help us play hard, play aggressive and play strong. I gotta get a way to get these guys jumping out from the start."