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Shorthanded Devils Shock Streaks

Brian Gjurgevich/Highlands Today

Sebring's Spencer Caton (center) goes to the floor for a loose ball on Thursday at Blue Streak gym while teammate Devin Clarke (10) and Lakeland's Devonte Craft (13) look on.

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By BRIAN GJURGEVICH

Highlands Today

Published: February 20, 2009

Updated:

SEBRING - Drew Taylor walked into Blue Streak gym in a buttoned-down shirt and tie and a woefully shorthanded squad, just two minutes before the scheduled tip-off on Thursday night.

By the end of Red Devils' emotional 57-53 victory over Sebring in the Class 4A regional quarterfinals, however, the longtime coach looked like he'd run the court with every one of his nine dressed players; His tie was but a memory, his shirt was untucked with sleeves rolled to the elbows and sweat poured from his often-strained face.

Despite being without the services of six suspended players - including three starters - because of suspensions stemming from a fight in their district tournament, the Red Devils ran with the Streaks all game and made two crucial plays late to steal a victory and shock a packed Blue Streak gym.

"There's a real sense of pride," said Taylor as his team celebrated their improbable victory in the visiting locker room. "We played three JV guys and three varsity guys, but you have to have faith in your kids, and I wouldn't trade any of my kids for anybody."

Sebring seemed primed for a victory in the waning moments: The Streaks had the ball in a tie game with 33 seconds on the clock, but rather than calling a timeout and preparing for a last shot at victory, Sebring coach Princeton Harris let his seasoned group play on. To the horror of Sebring fans, the Devils quickly forced a turnover and scored while they were fouled to take a two-point lead, and then put back the rebound on the ensuing free throw to put the game away.

"As a coach, you sit back and second-guess yourself," Harris said as he gathered the team's home jerseys in a laundry basket for the final time this season. "When we got it to half court, I said, 'OK let me call a timeout.'

"But then I thought the worst that can happen is that we could miss a shot and go to overtime. And we practice a certain play fora situation like that. But we turned it over. They baited us right into it and we turned it over."

Sebring senior Jake Trussell, who led the Streaks with 12 points, said the Devils simply never went away.

"When we first came in, we thought we had it," Trussell said. "But little by little, they kept coming.

"It looked like they were tired and they might back down a little bit, but they kept pounding and pounding."

Sebring forward Tevin Toney, who along with JC Howard and Joe Young had eight points, said he was surprised by Kathleen's endurance in the hotly contested game.

"They must be in good shape, because they played the same way we played but with less players," Toney said. "We kind of underestimated them, and free throws really hurt us. We needed to knock those down because they were crucial."

The Streaks hit 4-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter, but two of those misses were on on the opening ends of 1-and-1s. That, along with poor rotation on the defensive end, let the Devils hang around too long, according to Harris.

"We let them penetrate from the middle and then didn't step up and help," he said. "When we stepped off, our second guy didn't recover backside the way we were supposed to. We kind of stood there like deer in the headlights."

After walking into the gym at 6:58 p.m. and not taking the floor until 7:07 p.m., Kathleen had surprisingly little trouble stepping of the bus and breaking Sebring's press early. They jumped out to a 6-2 with three lay-ups, and Harris said he knew it was time for an immediate change.

"I had told myself, they beat us three times and we're out of it," Harris said. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out."

The Streaks quickly abandoned their full-court press and went to their half-court zone, which was effective, forcing the Devils to miss all seven of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter. Sebring took a 20-16 lead on a Howard steal with three minutes to play in the second and looked to be in command, but Kathleen stepped up its defense and got to the rim, taking a 22-20 lead at the half.

Taylor said he was proud of his team's intensity closing out the half, and that despite having many fresh-faced players on the floor, the Devils - state champions in 2001 and runners-up last year - were focused long before they set foot in the gym.

"I told them the entire bus ride, think about what you have to do in a very hostile environment," Taylor said. "We pulled into the parking lot and it was packed. I said, 'those aren't Kathleen fans, guys.' "

The Devils pressed the paint in the third, getting into the bonus with 1:37 left and taking a 37-34 lead into the fourth. That's when Russell went to work, scoring two straight buckets to bring Sebring within two with six minutes remaining. Sophomore Devin Clarke then drained a 3-point shot form the right side and senior Chris Grubb banked another from the top of the key to tie it at 45 with 4:20 left to play.

Sebring took a two-point lead on a Young jumper with 2:40, and Young gave Sebring a 53-50 lead with a thunderous breakaway slam dunk with a minute left. But that's when Sebring missed the first half of two 1-and-1s, and after Kathleen's Lezedrek Williams tied the game with a free throw with 33 seconds left, Sebring dribbled up the court for what turned out to be a fateful possession.

"We could've made a statement by beating them," Harris said. "But I never counted them out with seven players. If they had five, I wouldn't have counted them out."

Despite the loss, Harris said the Streaks made strides this season, and with solid base of seasoned varsity players heading back next year, Harris is already thinking about his starting five.

"I have Joe, Jewel (Campbell), Devin, Tevin, Nate (Orozco) and all them back, so I'm going to be right back in this same position next year," Harris said. "And we're going to work. They have two weeks off and we're right back at it. I'm not giving them any time off because I know what we have."

Trussell, a senior, said the loss was tough, but that he hopes it teaches next year's group a lesson.

"We're district champs and we made a little mark on history, so we have to be happy about that," he said. "Any game can be your last."

NOTES: Williams led the Devils with 19 points, while Von Decked Clayton added 14 and Todd Davis added eight ... Clarke scored seven for Sebring, while Campbell and Grubb added four points each... Sebring was 7 of 16 from the free-throw line for the game.

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at 863-386-5841 or bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com

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