Given a rare shot vs. a public school, the Eagles top Northeast 82-38 in one of several routs at the Dunedin Shootout.
By JOHN C. COTEY
Published January 18, 2004
There's a reason public schools generally avoid the smaller private schools - there's nothing to gain.
With everything to gain, Class A private school power Oldsmar Christian came into Saturday's meeting against Class 5A Northeast hyped up, then exploded on the overmatched Vikings 82-38 at the Dunedin Shootout.
"We were up a little bit because it was a public school, and they usually won't play us," Eagle guard Trevor Ferguson said. "This was definitely a statement game for us. If we would have lost, we would have no respect in the county."
Tournament organizer Kevin Hendrick won't get a Christmas card from Northeast coach Dave Redding, who had to endure seeing his team take an ugly loss just more than 12 hours after bearly beating Gibbs.
The Vikings scored first. But the Eagles (12-1) scored next ... and next ... and next. A 25-0 run after Northeast's initial basket all but sealed the game.
Scoring on the fast break, off the press, on long 3-pointers and even three alley-oops from Trevor Ferguson to Jesse Rodriguez - one off the backboard - the Eagles would have scored 100 if not for the running clock, which went into effect when they opened a 66-29 lead with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Rodriguez scored 35, many on crowd-pleasing dunks. Ferguson, the county's top scorer, had 23.
Other Shootout action
DUNEDIN - The schedule for the Dunedin Shootout, like the event's previous four years, were filled with some of the state's best teams and created intriguing matchups.
But most of the day was filled with blowouts, including Clearwater (15-1), ranked No.2 in Class 5A, which outclassed Port Charlotte 68-42.
Transfer Benny Clyde, in his second game with Clearwater, chipped in eight points as did three other Tornadoes. Cruz Daniels led Clearwater with 10 points. Clearwater, which had 11 players score, controlled Port Charlotte (10-4) from the tipoff, running out to a 43-22 lead by halftime.
"He's probably one of the most athletic players in the county," Clearwater coach Jack Coit said of Clyde. "You can post him, he's quick, and he can shoot."
Port Charlotte was led by Yavney Neptune's 20 points but the Pirates (tallest player listed at 6 feet 2) were beaten mostly inside.
"They're a tough team," Port Charlotte coach Bill Specht said. "They got the big kid (Cruz) down low and they got shooters all around the outside."
In other games, Wharton (12-4) proved too quick for Palm Harbor University (6-6) in its first win over a Pinellas County school in three tries this season, 60-36 over the Hurricanes. A.J. Tyler led PHU with 20 points but turnovers quickly killed the Hurricanes, who led by seven much of the first quarter. Nate Erickson led the Wildcats with 12 points, all on 3-pointers, and the Wharton defense kept pressure on PHU.
"I didn't want to get into a half-court game with them," Wharton coach Tommy Tonelli said. "They have great offensive plays and can shoot, and I thought our quickness and athleticism would be enough to enable us to win."
In the most exciting game of the day, St. Petersburg (11-4) lost to Sarasota Riverview (8-6) 53-51 on a last-second Daren Dexter bucket. Dexter scored 25. The Green Devils led for three quarters but were outscored 19-6 in the fourth. Ricky Pena led St. Petersburg with 22 points.
