Lady Jackets fall one game short of State Title
By Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
February 25, 2011
LAKELAND - Mark Oates led his Lady Jackets onto the court at the Publix George Jenkins arena Friday morning looking to win the program's first girls basketball state title. The Lady Jackets will have to put that goal off until next year as St. Pete Lakewood's 5' 7" senior guard Taye' Lor Trotter and her younger sister 6' 0" forward Tianah Alvarado scored 45 of Lakewood's 48 points to lead the Spartans to their first Class 4A championship game since 1989. The Lady Jackets had dominated its opponents throughout the 2011 playoffs but could not muster up any offense. Lakewood Head Coach Necole Tunsil defense held the Lady Jackets to only 24% from the field and didn't allow Leesburg a three point basket. The Lady Jackets were only shot 4/29 from the field in the second half allowing Tunsil's Lady Spartans to run away with the game 48-31 and Leesburg's dream of a state championship .
Necole Tunsil won a girls basketball state title as a player at Lakewood. Now she is trying to do it as a coach after guiding her Alma mater to the state final four for the first time in her coaching career.
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| St. Pete Lakewood Head Coach Necole Tunsil |
“This team knows all about the last time we won state,” said Tunsil, who returned to coach her Alma mater seven seasons ago. “I try to use that as motivation. I float around my championship ring and they don’t have it. But they’re hungry.”
“At this stage you either get one or you don’t,” Tunsil said of a state title. “I’ve got mine. The players don’t have one yet. But they could get theirs (Saturday).”
The Lady Jackets found themselves in behind early in the contest as quick baskets by Trotter and Alvarado gave Lakewood a 10-4 lead at the 4:33 mark. Oates called a timeout and the Lady Jackets seemed to settle down and clawed their way back into the game. A couple of quick baskets by Lakewood and the Lady Jackets fell farther behind 14-4.
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| Leesburg High School's Ashley Perry (32) blocks a shot by Lakewood High's Schineice Beamon (1) in the first quarter of their Florida State High School Athletic Association semifinals game Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, at The Lakeland Center. Lakewood beat Leesburg 48-31. |
The Spartans’ once-fluid offense was stalled 24 feet from the basket as black-and-gold silhouettes of much taller girls waited for them in the middle. Lakewood tried to step back and fire, but kept missing. The Spartans also were turning the ball over. During a seven-minute stretch between the first and second quarters, they missed nine straight shots and had seven turnovers.
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| Leesburg High School's Jaleesa Blue (1) retrieves the ball after a shot attempt by Joharra Russell in the third quarter against Lakewood High at the Florida State High School Athletic Association basketball semifinals game Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, at The Lakeland Center. Lakewood beat Leesburg 48-31. |
Then the Lady Jackets started to respond, Ashley Lanier blocked a Trotter shot which led to a quick basket by Florida A&M signee Jaleesa Blue which started a 17-1 run by Leesburg to take a 21-15 lead late in the second quarter. Trotter ended the run with two baskets to end the period, leaving the Spartans down 21-19 at halftime. The Lady Jackets inability to capitalize at the free throw line allowed the Spartans to stay in the game. Leesburg shot only 33% from the free throw line for the game.
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| Leesburg High School Coach Mark Oates watches the scoreboard in the third quarter of the team's semifinals game against Lakewood High Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, at The Lakeland Center. Lakewood beat Leesburg 48-31. |
“At halftime, I didn’t feel real good because I knew we should have been up by more,” Leesburg Head Coach Mark Oates said.
Lakewood, despite shooting 27 percent in the first half, committing 11 turnovers and having two players (Kasey Drayton and Kayla Roberts) with three fouls each, were fortunate to be within striking distance.
“It could have been worse,” Tunsil said. “We dodged a bullet.”
“I felt like for major portions of the game that they didn’t seem to want to be here,” Leesburg coach Mark Oates said of his team. “If you play like that against a good opponent you’re not going to win.
At the start of the third quarter a Trotter free throw bought Lakewood within one. Blue followed with a quick basket to put Leesburg up 23-20. Blue picked up her third foul at the 7:11 mark of the 3rd quarter, which limited her aggressiveness on the defensive end of the court. Shaundrea Caldwell scored a basket to put the Lady Jackets up by 5 their largest lead of the day. Trotter quickly responded with a 3 pt basket to close the gap to 2. A Lady Jackets turnover on the next possession a basket by Trotter and now the game was tied at 25-25. On the next possession Jacquette Green fouled Blue on her way to the basket. Blue made one of the free throws to give Leesburg their last lead of the day 26-25. Schineice Beamon scored her only basket of the day on the next possession and to give Lakewood the lead for good 27-26. Beamon came through in other ways, finishing with 11 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
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| Leesburg High School guard Baylie Bridges (14) blocks a pass by Lakewood High's Schineice Beamon (1) in the second quarter of their Florida State High School Athletic Association semifinals game Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, at The Lakeland Center. Lakewood beat Leesburg 48-31. |
On Leesburg's next possession senior Jaleesa Blue commited a offensive foul driving to the basket her fourth with 3:40 remaining in the 3rd quarter. That's when things started to unravel for the Lady Jackets. Lakewood’s defense took over in the second half, holding Leesburg to a .138 shooting percentage from the field. Leesburg turned the ball over 18 times and yielded the lead for good with more than four minutes to play in the third quarter once Lakewood went up 27-26.
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| Leesburg High School guard Baylie Bridges (14) blocks a pass by Lakewood High's Schineice Beamon (1) in the second quarter of their Florida State High School Athletic Association semifinals game Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, at The Lakeland Center. Lakewood beat Leesburg 48-31. |
“We didn’t seem like we wanted to be here,” Oates said afterward. “We didn’t play with the same emotion, enthusiasm, hustle or smarts that we played with all season.”
“I think we panicked a little bit in the first half,” said Trotter, who finished with a team-high 23 points. “We weren’t playing the way we’re capable of. We said in the locker room that we just had to go out and do what we do.”
Johaara Russell free throw pulled Leesburg within five but that was the closet they would get. The Spartans went on a 10-0 run to finally put the game out of reach.
LEESBURG (31) – Jaleesa Blue 3-10 1-6 9, Ashley Lanier 1-6 0-1 2, Joharra Russell 3-11 1-4 7, Baylie Bridges 2-12 1-2 5, Ashley Perry 3-13 2-2 8, Reiana Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Jamilya Hodge 0-0 0-0 0, Taneisha Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Brynique Aiken 1-1 0-0 2, Temetria Simmons 0-0 0-0 0, Shaundrea Caldwell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-53 5-15 31.
LAKEWOOD (48) – Schineice Beamon 1-4 0-2 2, Taye’Lor Trotter 10-16 1-2 23, Kayla Roberts 0-6 0-0 Kasey Drayton 0-3 1-2 1, Tianah Alvarado 8-22 4-7 22, Jacquette Green 0-0 0-0 0, Maya Madry 0-0 0-0 0, Chauncey Ivey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-52 6-13 41.
Halftime: Leesburg 21-19. 3-point field goals: LEE 0-10 (Bridges 0-5, Blue 0-2, Russell 0-2 Perry 0-1). LAKE 4-10 (Trotter 2-3, Alvarado 2-6, Roberts 0-1). Rebounds: LEE 40 (Blue 9); LAKE 41 (Beamon 11). Assists: 2 (Russell 1, Bridges 1); LAKE 5 (Roberts 3). Records: Leesburg 23-7, Lakewood 25-4.
Articles provided by:
www.leesburgyellowjacketsbasketball.com
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Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
About the Author
Gerald is a professional Internet marketer and social media marketing expert. His online business ventures and websites generate multiple streams of income annually. His consulting clients include best selling authors and international speakers.
Gerald is the CEO/President of Lacey LLC and OmariWholesale, Inc. He runs his entire business from his home where he is able to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is passionate about helping individuals to build and monetize their personal brand online.
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| Solemn in the last minute of play, Leesburg High School guard Reiana Carter and Lakewood High guard Kayla Roberts prepare to end their Florida State High School Athletic Association semifinals game Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, at The Lakeland Center. Lakewood beat Leesburg 48-31. |
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Maggie Petty, 8, left, Carsen Bridges, 8, and Lindi Petty, 6, cheer on Carsen's sister, Leesburg High School guard Baylie Bridges, in the first quarter of the Yellow Jackets' Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A basketball semifinals game against the Lakewood Spartans in the Friday, Feb. 25, 2011, at The Lakeland Center. Lakewood beat Leesburg 48-31.
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