Hillsborough: County roundup

By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2008

Boys basketball

Top-ranked Berkeley Prep had a bit of a scare Thursday night.

But after seeing a 16-point lead cut to two midway through the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers responded by hitting several clutch shots down the stretch to defeat visiting Bradenton Christian 78-65.

Junior guard Jonathan Gray tied his season high for points with 27 as the Buccaneers, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, improved to 15-1.

"He played excellent," Berkeley Prep assistant Ron Williams said. "He had 18 in the first half."

Senior guard Zak Kazanski added 14 points for the Bucs and was arguably their top player in the final minutes.

Girls basketball

- Chamberlain 62, Leto 39

At Chamberlain, the Chiefs improved to 7-10 behind senior guard Sierra Crawley's career-best effort. She scored 31 and hit five 3-pointers.

"She led us on the floor the whole night," Chiefs coach Jim Martin said. "Offensively and defensively, she was solid."

The Chiefs led 17-3 after one quarter.

"We jumped on them quick," Martin said.

Junior guard Arrena Houston added 20 points for Chamberlain.

- St. Petersburg Catholic 42, Berkeley Prep 18

At Berkeley Prep, SPC improved to 18-1 as Liz Baldwin and Holly Janicki scored 10 each.

The Buccaneers (8-9) went ahead 2-0 in the opening minute, but the Barons responded by scoring the next 20.

Jalan Wishik led Berkeley Prep with seven points.

"St. Pete Catholic is one of the toughest teams we play," Berkeley Prep coach Jeremiah Gregg said. "They're very well-rounded, they can score both inside and out, they can go 10 players deep, and they're tough to handle."

- Freedom 48, King 39

At King, Freedom improved to 14-6 as Charlet Davis scored 17. King was led by Samara Shepherd, who scored 16.

Freedom built a 29-15 halftime lead.

- Holy Names 41, Seffner Christian 37

At Seffner Christian, the Jaguars improved to 13-7 behind junior guard Katie Davis' 28 points. She had 22 in the second half as AHN rallied from a 12-10 halftime deficit.

"It was a good defensive battle," Jaguars coach Casey Higgins said. "We came out in the third quarter, made some adjustments and really executed in the second half. I'm proud of the way our girls found a way to win."

Seffner Christian was led by Jenny Moorer, who had 14 points.

Seffner Christian is 8-7.

[Last modified January 11, 2008, 00:59:18]