Undermanned Eagles fall short against St. Pete

The Eagles would never recover in their 64-53 loss in the Hooters Holiday Shootout quarterfinals.

By JOE SMITH
Published December 29, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Brandon senior Jeremy Jackson, his jersey soaked in sweat, was overwhelmed.

Surrounded by two St. Petersburg defenders deep in his own backcourt Thursday night, Jackson lost control of the ball. St. Petersburg's Geno Green (19 points) scooped it up and soared for a dunk, part of a 16-0, second-quarter run.

The undermanned Eagles would never recover in their 64-53 loss in the Hooters Holiday Shootout quarterfinals.

"We were so tired," said Jackson, who scored 16 points while playing the full 32 minutes. "They kept pressing us, and we couldn't get open."

St. Petersburg moves on to the semifinals at Eckerd College tonight at 6, when the Green Devils (10-3) face Clearwater. In the other semifinal, Boca Ciega plays Pinellas Park at 7:30.

Brandon (8-3) played without one starter and six reserves as a result of the bleacher-clearing melee during their game Dec. 15 against Plant City. Combine that with junior guard Tarron Stewart missing a huge chunk of the second quarter due to foul trouble, and St. Petersburg's press stole the show.

Brandon plays Countryside at 3:30 today at Eckerd. Jefferson, 57-33 losers to Pinellas Park, faces Gibbs at 2. King, which lost 65-49 to Spot, plays Lehigh at 11.

Chase Memorial Tournament

HUDSON - Wharton continued its dominance, beating East Lake 51-43. The Wildcats (10-1), ranked fifth in the state, started sluggish, entering halftime tied at 23.

Wharton put together a 13-4 run in the third quarter and pulled away behind Shawn Vanzant's 22 points. Guard Matt Moore led East Lake with 11.

In the second game, Oldsmar Christian (8-4) pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 62-49 win over Jesuit (3-8). Oldsmar took a 13-3 lead in the first 5 minutes, 30 seconds . The Tigers went on a 10-2 run to take a 33-31 lead in the third quarter, behind leading scorer Charlie Mills' 10 points.

Mike Camunas, Times correspondent

[Last modified December 28, 2006, 23:29:47]