Bloomingdale and host Riverview pull off upsets and will meet in tonight's final.
By TERRY JONES
Published February 21, 2004
RIVERVIEW - Bloomingdale and Riverview upset the top-seeded teams Friday in the Class 6A, District 6 semifinals and face off tonight at 7:30 for the district championship. Both continue into regional playoffs next week.
Both Hillsborough County teams won in the closing seconds.
Riverview beat top seed Sarasota 47-44 when Patrick Wonsey hit a one-and-one with 17 seconds left. The Sharks finished by stealing the ball.
Bloomingdale upset No. 2 seed Sarasota Riverview 56-54. Lugene Ellis scored a layup to break a tie with 16 seconds left. Like Riverview, Bloomingdale also stole the ball to end it.
Riverview struck quickly, smothering the Sailors with pressing defense and led by as much as 13 on their way to a 32-23 halftime lead.
The Sailors then put together a plan that worked; they took control of the rebounding on both ends and trailed only 41-40 after three quarters.
"Our guys just hung in there and weathered the third-period storm," Riverview coach Mike Baker said. "When Sarasota took the lead, our guys didn't let them go beyond three points. Then we got back on the boards, Sarasota slowed down the game and we just outplayed them in the closing minutes."
Bloomingdale and Sarasota Riverview stayed close throughout.
Theo Smalling led Bloomingdale with 18 points. Eric Patrick and Lee Richardson added 14 each.
The Bulls held a big advantage on the free-throw line, hitting 13-of-16; the Rams were 4-of-6. Smalling scored four for four in the last 30 seconds of the game to tie the score at 54.
"We knew we had to stop their penetration and board control in the third period or we would be in trouble," Bloomingdale coach Josh Chapin said. "We overloaded to one side and had to spread out, because shots were going off the board right to them. We made that adjustment and started getting the ball to Smalling inside and it worked."
