Lions Face Wolves In District Championship

Whenever TBT and Newsome get together, it always seems to end up in a fast-paced physical game.  Tech continually swaps out two or three players, trying to get more minutes for some on offense and others on defense, with team leaders Fredrick Drayton and LaCarlton Nelson rarely leaving the floor.  They always play with great effort and tenacity on defense, and last night was no exception. The atmosphere was intense as fans for all four teams filled the gym, and most stayed for both games.

As Newsome played for the last shot in the first half, a turnover with 4.5 seconds left resulted in a runaway Fredrick Drayton layup and a 29-23 halftime lead for the Titans.  The third quarter started with each team scrapping for baskets with some success, and the Wolves caught up to tie the score at 33-33 with 3:33 left in the 3rd period.  Once the Wolves had tasted success, there was no stopping them, as they doubled their offensive output in the third quarter to take a nice 9 point lead into the fourth.  The tough defensive style of the Titans resulted in a large number of trips to the charity stripe for the Wolves, and they cashed in at the line.  Samal Shepherd finished 9 of 10 from the line, including 8 in a row in the second half.  He also pumped in three treys for a total of 26 points.  Jake Hodges added 12 and Charles Murphy 10 as Newsome won by the final score of 67-49.  Drayton had 13 pints for the Titans, who were led in that category by junior Larrie Lepard.

The Wolves were able to take control of the game in the fourth, and extended the lead to twenty points at about the 1:50 mark, resulting in first-ever varsity action for several young players. Another very unusual event took place between the third and fourth quarters, when 74 year old referee Clem Brooks received a standing ovation from the crowd upon hearing that he was retiring after the game with 50 years of service.  Few members of the crowd could have kept up with the pace of the game, and they were highly appreciative of his efforts.

It appeared that few, if any of the TBT or Newsome fans left the gymnasium upon the completion of the game.  King, the only team who was supported by their cheer squad, countered Bloomingdale's home-team advantage with a dozen deafeningly loud girls in the red and blue.  The first half was competitive, but the Lions were beginning to pull away as they held a 9 point 26-17 advantage at the break.  They continued their success in the third, pulling out to a 40-26 advantage around three minutes into the quarter.  At this point, Bloomingdale switched to a trapping defense which resulted in three turovers and three baskets in the next 30 seconds.  After a King timeout, Bloomingdale continued to press their advantage.  Their pressure defense frustrated the Lions, who aided the Bulls cause somewhat with a technical by Chauncey Day and an intentional foul for tripping on Rethell Oliver.  The Bulls were able to bring the score to a tie at 40 all with 1:59 remaining in the period.  The Bloomingdale momentum continued into the fourth period, whent they completing their 21-0 run to take a 45-40 lead. 

At this point, however, the size, speed, and strength of the Lions began to wear the Bulls down.  Toarlyn Fitzpatrick began to bring the ball down the court, adding that to his repertoire for the night, which included 11 points 19 rebounds, and many, many blocked or altered shots.  King erased the deficit, and gradually moved out to another 10 point lead on their way to a 60-52 win.

The Wolves and Lions face each other tonight at 7:00 in the Bloomingdale gym for the district 5A-8 championship. The winner of tonight's game will move on to host the loser of the Ridgewood vs Land O Lakes game in regional action next Thursday, February 19, while the loser will visit the winner of that game.

Last changed: Feb 14 2009 at 11:12 PM

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