Boys basketball: Lakewood wears down Pinellas Park

By BOB PUTNAM, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2008

PINELLAS PARK - Lakewood's defense extends to every cranny on the court. The essence of the Spartans' pressure is to wear opponents down mentally and physically.

In the final three minutes of Thursday's game, Pinellas Park felt the heat.

Unable to unshackle themselves from the Spartans' defense, the Patriots watched their slim lead disappear. The Spartans took advantage in a 59-56 victory.

"I felt like our defense was the key, especially in those final few minutes," Spartans coach Dan Wright said.

Lakewood (18-1) started to rally in the frenzied final minutes when the Patriots committed a foul that sent Irez Gray to the line. Gray took a long, deep breath and released. His first foul shot was good. So was the second.

The Spartans held a 57-56 lead, and Gray added a putback basket on their next possession.

"I was nervous, but it felt great to get those points," Gray said.

Pinellas Park (17-4) never recovered. The Patriots missed two free throws, and Cam Carden threw up an off-balance, errant 3-pointer as time expired.

"In the last three minutes, we didn't play smart basketball," Patriots coach Allen Carden said. "It bothers me that we panicked a bit down the stretch. We've been in tight games before, and this is the first time I've seen that."

Carden scored a game-high 16 for Pinellas Park. Lakewood was led by Mike Morrison, who scored 15.

Both teams meet in next week's Pinellas County Athletic Conference title game.

Lakewood 59 Pinellas Park 56

[Last modified January 25, 2008, 00:43:03]