No mercy, title for Spartans

Lake Howell thumps Lakewood in the state's most lopsided championship.

By JOE SMITH
Published March 3, 2007

LAKELAND - With six minutes left in the state championship game, Lakewood coach Daniel Wright threw in the proverbial towel.

With his Spartans down 35 points to Lake Howell, Wright pulled all of his starters, who sat shell-shocked and silent on the bench the rest of the game.

Fans expected a run-and-gun shootout Friday night. Instead, they got a running clock-style blowout.

Lake Howell thumped Lakwood 85-42 at the Lakeland Center in the most lopsided title game in Florida High School Athletic Association history, dating to 1922.

The Silverhawks 29-3 beat the Spartans at their own fast-break-style game, shooting 62 percent and forcing a running clock for the entire fourth quarter.

"I've never been in a game like that before," said Wright, in his 31st season with the Spartans. "We call it the 'mercy rule.' We got our butts whooped."

Said Lake Howell senior Nick Calathes: "I didn't think it'd be that bad."

The matchup pitted the teams ranked 1-2 in Class 5A nearly the entire season. But Wright, going for his 600th win and third state title in six years, said he knew the Spartans "didn't match up well" with Lake Howell.

The Silverhawks beat every state opponent by at least 11 points this season, riding the shoulders of their senior backcourt - Florida-bound Calathes (23 points) and Chandler Parsons (22 points), along with point guard Joey Rodriguez (Virginia Commonwealth).

With Florida coach Billy Donovan in the stands, the trio put on a show, sharing MVP honors. They combined for 71 points before getting pulled with six minutes, 22 seconds to go. Rodriguez was the epitome of efficiency, tallying 11 assists and no turnovers.

Said Parsons: "We just clicked on all cylinders."

Meanwhile the Spartans sputtered, struggling to find holes in Lake Howell's 1-3-1 zone. The Silverhawks were long, quick and savvy, stopping any penetration. Junior forward Mike Morrison led Lakewood with 11 points, but also had four of the Spartans' 17 turnovers (compared to 18 total field goals).

Lakewood senior guards Ed Nixon and Anthony Dorsey, who each average 18 points per game, combined for 19 Friday.

"It's really upsetting - I don't know what to say," Lakewood senior Ronnie Lane said. "We wanted to bring the state title back to St. Pete."

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

[Last modified March 3, 2007, 00:54:11]