Lakewood puts on pressure in win

By JOE SMITH
Published December 14, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Lakewood lanky senior Rashon Stewart used his long arms to deflect a pass at midcourt Wednesday night.

The 6-foot-4 forward then soared for a layup, giving the Spartans a five-point lead late in the third quarter against Clearwater.

The steal was symbolic: It was Lakewood's pressure - and the play of their role players - that lifted the Spartans to a 56-51 win over Clearwater in a sold-out showdown between the county's top two teams.

Without Lakewood star senior guard Ed Nixon sprained ankle, junior guard Brandon Green (eight points) and senior Carlton Williams (11) stepped up. Anthony Dorsey had a team-high 16 points.

"This one was for Ed," Lakewodo coach Daniel Wright said. "Nobody gave us a chance to win this one without him."

A standing-room-only crowd of nearly 1,000 fans and several college coaches came to watch the matchup between Lakewood (7-0) and Clearwater (7-1), ranked third and seventh in the state, respectively, in the latest Sports/FSN Boys Basketball Poll.

Clearwater quieted the crowd early thanks to senior Justin Morin, who scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the first quarter.

But Green, a 5-foot-7 backup guard, hit two big 3-pointers in the first half to keep Lakewood within striking distance.

After a back-and-forth third quarter, Lakewood pulled away in the fourth, turning Clearwater turnovers into transition baskets. While Lakewood shot 10-for-23 from the free-throw line, Clearwater wasn't much better, going 9-for-18 in their worst shooting night of the season.

"They're a great team, very athletic," Clearwater guard Luke Loucks said. "We got flustered and didn't follow the game plan. Hopefully this will wake us up."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith @sptimes.com or at (727) 893-8129.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 05:58:06]