TBT withstands a rally to win the Chamberlain Holiday Tournament title.
By EMILY NIPPS
Published December 30, 2003
TAMPA - Even after gaining a comfortable first-half lead in the Chamberlain Holiday Tournament championship game Monday, Tampa Bay Tech coach Adrian Johnson knew a victory wouldn't come easily.
He had lost to Riverview this month, and knew the Sharks' capabilities. More important, he knew exactly how Riverview coach Mike Baker worked. Johnson and Baker were teammates at Brandon in the 1970s.
Sure enough, the Sharks (7-2) came back just enough to spook the Titans (7-2). It wasn't enough to win, though. Tampa Bay Tech won 73-66, ending Riverview's seven-game winning streak.
As unlikely as the possibility seemed in the first half, when the Titans led 32-15, Riverview made the game exciting in the final six minutes. A Patrick Wonsey 3-pointer followed by back-to-back layups by Jerrell Sheppard and Jeff Kovacs brought Sharks within four points (61-57) of tying the score.
"That didn't surprise me at all," Johnson said. "Behind Mike Baker, I knew there was no quit in their hearts. I knew that from the beginning."
Tampa Bay Tech's pressure defense, however, never let up. A constant barrage of steals and blocks helped the Titans get their early lead and put together their strong finish. They held the Sharks to three field goals and scored three of their own as the last few minutes ticked off.
"It's hard to come back when you only play for three quarters of basketball," Baker said. "We just got down a little too far today."
Point guard Demitrius Edwards led the Titans with 32 points and Dada Fayedi and Cecil Coleman each scored 11. Wonsey led Riverview with 22 points, and Sheppard and Kovacs each scored 12.
In consolation games, Gaither's Antonio Russell scored 31 including five 3-pointers to lead the Cowboys over Chamberlain, 79-58. Hillsborough squeaked by Blake 49-48 despite a strong Yellow Jackets comeback in the fourth quarter. Hillsborough's Tyrone Evans had a game-high 20 points.
