Tables turned on Lakewood

The play will forever be etched in state finals lore, an alley-oop straight out of Showtime.

By JOE SMITH
Published March 3, 2007

LAKELAND - The play will forever be etched in state finals lore, an alley-oop straight out of Showtime.

Lake Howell point guard Joey Rodriguez lofted a picture-perfect, 45-foot pass to the fingertips of a flying Chandler Parsons, who demoralized a Lakewood player with a dunk.

Parsons screamed. Rodriguez chuckled. Even a Spartans fan, wearing a Lakewood "Dynasty" shirt, slapped his leg and hollered.

The Spartans were shell-shocked. For the first time, a team beat them at their own game.

Lakewood overwhelmed opponents all season, swarming them with a full-court press and wearing them down by the fourth quarter.

The Spartans dared you run with them. If they did, those teams were typically toast.

On Friday night, however, it was the Spartans with their hands on their knees, gasping for air.

From the opening tip, Lake Howell played in fifth gear, while Lakewood sputtered in neutral.

The Silverhawks wowed the crowd with their fast-break flair. They were equally entertaining and efficient. They were the Globetrotters meets Hoosiers; a behind-the back pass, a back-door cut.

When Lakewood made a basket, the Silverhawks beat them back before the scorekeeper could flip the switch. Off turnovers? Forget about it.

"In my four years at Lakewood, that was the team that matched up best with us," Lakewood senior Anthony Dorsey. "They ran the fast break like us. They're long like us, they're athletic like us."

Only they were better.

Lake Howell players smiled and laughed back down the court as their lead got to 20 ...30 ...40. They tried passes and plays kids often dream about while playing in parks; and they did it nearly flawlessly Rodriguez had 11 assists, no turnovers.

They looked at each other like, "Do you believe what's happening?"

Said Lakewood coach Daniel Wright: "It is all about matchups. And we couldn't match up."

Even at their own game.

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

[Last modified March 3, 2007, 00:35:17]