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Hoboes' height advantage too much for Warriors to overcome.
By PERRY BALLARD
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 28, 2001
LAUREL HILL -- Laurel Hill broke open a close game with a 10-0 burst late in the first half, and the top-ranked Hoboes used another late run to knock off Seven Rivers Christian 69-47 in the Class A, Region 1 semifinals.
Lee J. Kirkpatrick, Laurel Hill's 6-foot-5 center, scored a game-high 21 points. "(Kirkpatrick) is a dominating player when he wants to be and when we can get the ball to him," Laurel Hill coach Rodney Free said. "He's 6-5 and 250 pounds and hard to guard."
After building a 34-25 lead at the half, Laurel Hill (26-5) stretched its margin to as many as 13 early in the second half. Seven Rivers (16-13) rallied to pull within seven on two occasions in the fourth quarter, the final time coming on a basket by senior guard Frankie Squire with 5:50 remaining.
But the Hoboes sealed the outcome with another 10-0 run and the Warriors could not recover.
Senior forward Bob Adams led Seven Rivers with 19 points. Squire added 12 and Shawn Allen had 11.
Laurel Hill's strategy was clear from the start; spread the Warriors' defense and use the height advantage of Kirkpatrick inside. The plan worked to perfection in the first quarter, especially when Adams picked up two fouls in the first 31 seconds of the game.
With Adams on the bench, Kirkpatrick was able to dominate the middle. He scored nine of his team's first 14 points, and also missed a couple of easy putbacks.
Laurel Hill threatened an early blowout, but Seven Rivers hung tough behind the three-point shooting of Squire, who hit a pair from long range. The Warriors weathered an early seven-point deficit and trailed 16-12 after one quarter.
Seven Rivers got a break when Kirkpatrick picked up his second foul two minutes into the second period. He sat on the bench the rest of the half, while Adams returned from the bench to keep the Warriors close.
Adams scored seven consecutive points during one stretch to pull Seven Rivers within 24-22 with 2:15 left in the half. But the Warriors got careless with the ball and committed turnovers on four straight possessions.
James took over for the Hoboes, scoring six points in a 10-0 run that gave Laurel Hill a 34-22 advantage.
Adams stopped the bleeding by scoring a three-point play with three seconds left in the half to make it 34-25.