Clearwater, St. Petersburg Catholic and Admiral Farragut all are in the final four.
By JOHN C. COTEY
Published March 9, 2004
For the second time in three years, Pinellas County shows off its basketball prowess to the state by sending three teams to the state semifinals in Lakeland.
Class 5A Clearwater and Class 3A St. Petersburg Catholic play in their respective semifinals Wednesday, with the championships on Friday. Admiral Farragut, a Class 2A representative, plays Thursday, with the championship game Saturday.
All three won their region tournaments. Pinellas County had a chance to send four, which would have been a county record, but Lakewood lost Saturday night. In 2002, Lakewood, Boca Ciega and Indian Rocks advanced to state, with the Spartans winning the county's first state title since 1994.
Clearwater - a team many expected to make the finals last year with its senior-laden group but instead advanced this year with a strong core of juniors - has not been to state since 1995, when it lost in the semifinals. Jack Wilson's team won the Class 4A championship in 1981, the only time in school history the Tornadoes made the final.
Ranked No.3 in the state, Clearwater meets No.5 Lake Howell, coached by former USF point guard Reggie Kohn, at 8:30 p.m. Kohn, the Bulls' all-time assists leader, took over for his father, Steve, after graduating from USF in 2003.
St. Petersburg Catholic has never been to the final four, though as Bishop Barry it was state runnerup in Class 3A in 1973. Before this season, the Barons never had advanced past the second round of the playoffs.
The Barons, No.5 in 3A, play No.7 East Gadsden on Wednesday at 2:30. The school will have a half-day, allowing students to attend the game.
"Everyone's real excited about the game," coach Mike Moran said. "It's been real nice."
East Gadsden is a first-year school, but don't be fooled - it is the result of combining tradition-rich Quincy Shanks and Havana Northside high schools. Quincy Shanks advanced out of District 11 consecutive seasons before the merger, and Havana Northside has six state championships to its credit.
No.3 Admiral Farragut makes its second straight final-four appearance. Last year, it lost to Miami Northwest in the Class A semifinals. The Blue Jackets also appeared in the final four in 2000. It plays unranked Cottondale on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
