We headed down to Wesley Chapel for the Hoop Feast.  Eight courts going at once with quality basketball certainly deserves the name “Hoop Feast”.

Before we get into the game action, we need to share what happened early in what was to be the highlight game of the day, Tampa Blake taking on Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian.

With 1:44 left in the first quarter and Calvary up 15-10, a Blake player stole the ball and headed hard for the hoop.  The Calvary player, wanting to atone for his mistake charged hard after him.  The two bodies collided in the air, both coming down awkwardly on the court.  The Calvary player was able to bounce back up but the Blake player was in serious trouble.  He was bleeding from his nose, his body was convulsing, and from our vantage point we could see his eyes had rolled back.  Fortunately, trainers were able to arrive quickly on the scene and administer the proper first aid until the paramedics arrived soon thereafter.  A neck brace and back board were smartly applied and the young man carted off, seemingly having regained motion in his extremities.  The game was cancelled out of respect for the situation.  We are VERY HAPPY to report that the Blake player “only” suffered a broken nose, and there was no concussion or other bodily injury.  The many prayers lifted up while the Blake player was down were heard and answered.

Now onto the games.

Game One: Columbia (SC) Ridgeview vs. Miami Riviera Prep

Ridgeview came into the event nationally ranked.  They suffered a loss Friday at the hands of Calvary Christian, so they were looking to make amends.  Ridgeview started the first quarter strong, leading 7-2 midway through.  Riviera Prep tied the score at 10-10 with one minute left but Ridgeview led 12-10 going into the second quarter.

Riviera Prep assumed control in the second quarter.  An 18-2 run doubled up the score in the Bulldogs’ favor at 28-14, forcing a Ridgeview timeout with just under three minutes to play.  For the rest of the period, the teams would trade baskets and at the break, Riviera Prep was up 35-22.

Riviera Prep maintained its double digit lead in the third quarter until Ridgeview made a late run to close the gap to eight points, 47-39, heading into the final period.  Riviera Prep held a nine point 52-43 lead with four minutes left to play and looked in control.  However, Ridgeview wasn’t done yet.  An 8-0 Ridgeview blitz made it a one point game, 52-51, with 1:45 to play.  Riviera Prep responded with a floater by Myles Fuentes and then a bucket inside from Gustavo Gumareas, to push the lead back into two possession territory.  Ridgeview ran out of time for a comeback.  Riviera Prep headed home with a 57-51 win.

Fuentes led Riviera Prep with 18 points while Gumareas added 16 points.

Korie Corbett led Ridgeview with 18 points.

Game Two: Osceola Fundamental vs. Seffner Christian

Osceola, out of Pinellas County, and Seffner, from the Tampa area, had short rides for this event.  Despite that, both teams came out slow as the score was only 4-2 after the first four minutes.  Play picked up quickly from that point and heading into the second quarter, Osceola led 19-13.  Seffner Christian scored the first six points in the second and the contest remained tight for the rest of the period.  At the break, the score was tied at 29-29.

Osceola was the first to grab the lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter.  While Seffner Christian stayed close, Osceola never surrendered the lead and led 49-44 going into the final period.  With four minutes left in the contest, Osceola led 51-46.  At that point, Seffner Christian made a charge.  On three occasions in the final 1:30 of the contest, Seffner Christian got to within a single point.  Each time, Osceola had an answer.  Seffner Christian seemingly ran out of time more than lost, with the final score being 57-56 in favor of Osceola.

Aidan Lewis led Osceola with 18 points.

Arcadian Davis finished with 18 points to lead Seffner Christian

Game Three: Lakeland Victory Christian vs. St. John’s Country Day

This was billed as a “Freshmen Face-Off” between two of the top Class of 2028 players in the state of Florida.  Camden Cooper, a 6’5 freshman at St. John’s Country Day near St. Augustine, already has two years of varsity ball under his belt.  Quinton Wilson, a 6’4 freshman, had plenty of run last year on Victory’s region finalist team.  Both are rated highly in the class nationally so the opportunity to see them match up for the first time at the high school level was something we couldn’t pass up.

Despite missing a pair of starters, Victory Christian was just too much for SJCD.  While Victory only led by three, 13-10 after one quarter of play, the rest of the game was spent increasing their lead.  It helped that Tucker Fox, a 6’0 junior, was on fire from deep, connecting on six threes during the game.  Victory’s 74-44 win was a bit anticlimactic.

Cooper and Wilson both lived up to their billing.  Cooper finished with 19 points while Wilson had a game-high 25 points.  We’ll do a more thorough review of their game a bit later but for now we can see how this could be an entertaining rivalry for the next four years.

Game Four: Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic vs. Hialeah Mater Lakes

This was one of the better games of the day.  Despite the youth of the team, Mater Lakes is unfazed by any opponent.  They got to an early 9-4 lead and led 19-14 heading into the second quarter.  Mater Lakes continued to hold a small lead throughout most of the second period.  Santa Fe tied the score at 27-27 but at the break, Mater Lakes was on top by the slimmest of margins, 32-31.

The third quarter was much like the first two.  The score was tied at 40-40 with just over three minutes to play.  This time it was Santa Fe clinging to a 46-44 lead heading into the final period.  In that final period, the experience of Santa Fe came through in the clutch.  Once they established a lead, they didn’t let it go.  Santa Fe would survive a tough one, 66-59.

Toby Lane and Tate Darner each came up big for Santa Fe.  Both scored 24 points in the contest.

For Mater Lakes, Tai Bell led the way with 28 points.

Game Five: Tampa Specially Fit Academy vs. City of Hialeah Educational Academy

Specially Fit Academy plays in the SIAA, so this was an interesting SIAA/FHSAA matchup.  SFA led 8-5 after the first four minutes but COHEA was on top after one by the score of 15-11.  In the second period, COHEA maintained a small lead until a late 10-4 run turned a three point lead into a nine point advantage at the break, 35-26.

COHEA led by eight points, 39-31, midway through the third period but SFA wasn’t done.  They finished the quarter on a 15-8 run, drawing to within one, 47-46, heading into the fourth quarter.  SFA took a brief lead on a three pointer to open the period but COHEA took it right back.  The lead and momentum seemed to switch teams with every possession, but COHEA was able to take advantage of SFA mistakes down the stretch to win by five, 68-63.

Tony Guerro was spectacular for COHEA, tossing in 35 points.  Josiah Brooks added 16 points.

For SFA, Landyn Colyer put up 18 points while Ivan Emeka finished with 17 points.

SOME NOTABLE FINISHES

With two hours scheduled for each game, there are times you can walk to another court and catch the end of another game.  This worked out to our favor twice.

We walked into the final minute of the Tampa Catholic/GA Westside game.  Tampa Catholic was able to send the game into overtime.  In the first OT period, it looked like TC had all the momentum but Westside snatched it away to force a second OT period.  By now, the areas off the court were close to overflowing with spectators.  In the second OT, Tampa Catholic outlasted Westside.  It was an incredible finish.

But not as incredible at Miami Gulliver Prep vs. St. Petersburg High School.  According to “The Boss” who watched game, St. Pete was up big in the second half before Gulliver Prep stormed back to tie the game in regulation.  We walked into the game with just a few ticks remaining in OT and St. Pete up one with a player at the line to increase the margin to three.  The St. Pete player missed the first one and made the second, making the score 92-90 with just a couple of seconds left.  After the timeout, Gulliver worked its play and was able to launch a clean look from three-quarter court.  From the moment it was out of the players hands, it looked good.

And it was.  Hit the backboard at the right spot and went through the net as the horn went off.  Spectators stormed the court in disbelief at what they had witnessed.  I kid you not, I saw two Gulliver Prep moms hugging and crying as though their baby had just been drafted in the lottery.  A crazy scene.