Barons hang tough

But the extra effort isn't enough as SPC falls to No. 1 Florida Air Academy.

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published March 10, 2005

LAKELAND - All week, nonbelievers wearing concerned looks wished Aaron Holmes good luck and sympathetically patted him on the back as if he was on his way to walk the plank.

He didn't understand why. After Wednesday, he still doesn't.

St. Petersburg Catholic almost pulled off the upset of the basketball season in the Class 3A semifinals, leading early and rallying late before dropping a 64-59 contest to No. 1 Melbourne Florida Air Academy at the Lakeland Center.

The Barons (24-6) staged a furious rally in the final three minutes. Trailing 52-45, Joey Baker hit a 3-pointer from the corner, Grady Jorgensen made one from NBA range and Billy Tapp canned a baseline jumper.

But in between each shot, Florida Air answered with layups and a dunk, busting through the Barons' desperate press. Tapp made three free throws with 8.3 seconds remaining to make it 62-59, but Jerome Burgos made two on the other end to seal it.

"I really, really thought we had a good chance to win," junior standout Holmes said. "Everyone else was wishing us good luck like we didn't. But I knew we could play with them. If that's the best team in the state, then we're the second best."

The Falcons' (31-0) average margin of victory this season was 36 points; their five-point win over the Barons was their closest game this season.

"We played six guys, basically, and just didn't have the depth," Barons coach Mike Moran said. "The effort was great. I wasn't happy all the time with the execution. But for those six guys to cover like they did, I'm really, really proud of them."

SPC guards Jock Sanders and Jorgensen were exceptional on defense, with Jorgensen keeping Falcons star Walter Hodge in check during the FAA halfcourt offense. He scored just one basket in the first quarter, putting back an airball miss, as SPC pulled out to a 18-5 lead early in the second quarter.

But Hodge scored nine in a 14-2 run near the end of the half, cutting the Barons' lead to 26-25 by halftime. In the third quarter, Moran said the Barons wore down.

"We had a stretch there where everyone was gasping," Moran said.

And the Falcons took advantage. Trailing 31-30, three Falcons hit 3-pointers in a 1:47 span to put Florida Air ahead for good.

Hodge finished with a game-high 26 points. Holmes led SPC with 23, but shot only 7-for-23 against a suffocating defense. Tapp scored 15, and Jorgensen added 14.

[Last modified March 10, 2005, 01:15:14]