Noles down Gosnell, Melbourne en route to title game

MANILA – Osceola bounced back from its 3A-3 District Tournament title game loss with a pair of double-digit victories over Gosnell, 67-56, and Melbourne, 68-47, in the semi- and quarterfinals of the Class 3 Region 2 Tournament at Manila.

The Seminoles only trailed for a total of 2:31 in both games and that came in the early first quarter of each contest. They were dominant on the glass, especially with offensive boards.

In fact, against Gosnell, the Noles had nearly as many offensive rebounds (18) as the Pirates did total (22). Osceola turned those boards into 16 second chance points with Richard High grabbing seven on the offensive end which he converted into 10 of his 25 total points. All in all, High totaled 14 boards to post the double-double.

Osceola’s Anthony Brown grabs a rebound Thursday in the Seminoles opener of the Class 3 Region 2 Tournament at Manila. Brown and the Noles rolled to a 21-point win over Melbourne to advance to the semifinals.

“Excited about him getting on the glass,” said Osceola head coach Bryanth Basemore of his senior star. “I’ve been on him all year, ‘go rebound’.

“That’s a good way to offset teams playing a box-and-one,” added the second-year coach. “Go crash the glass and get your points that way. I’m proud of him but I’m going to let him know that wasn’t enough.”

And Gosnell head coach Corbin Clark was quick to credit Osceola for their work on the boards.

The Pirates Bubba Lucas makes a move inside while being defended by Osceola’s Jeremiah Jacobs (13) and Richard High (3). Lucas and the Pirates didn’t have an answer for Osceola’s board work in their 67-56 loss. (Game Photos By David Pierce)

“We talked about the ways (Osceola) can hurt you,” he said, “which is transition and offensive glass. It really was a focal point for us tonight but we got some guys in foul trouble and they became concerned about being physical as they needed to be boxing out.

“A lot of that is because of Osceola’s physicality,” he added, “and that’s a credit to them. They’re so athletic and long. They just wear you down throughout the game.”

Clark was correct in his evaluation as two Pirates fouled out – Rylan Jenkins and Bubba Lucas - while Kerrion Terry was saddled with four. Terry and Lucas share the post for Gosnell.

Osceola’s Jeriyan Long gets fouled by Gosnell’s Kerrion Terry early in the semifinal game between the two Mississippi County rivals. Long and the Seminoles advanced to the finals to face another county rival Rivercrest.

And defensively the Seminoles were equal to the task as they kept the Pirates off balance with their play on that end of the court.

“We weren’t able to find a lot of offense tonight,” explained Clark. “They didn’t run your typical standard defense, extending it out to nearly half court and using a trap.

“At that point, you just have to get the ball to the middle of the floor and make a good basketball play,” he added, “and most of the time we weren’t able to.”

Rylan Jenkins launches a three-pointer during the Class 3 Region 2 semifinals Friday. Jenkins finished with seven points before fouling out in the 11-point loss.

Despite its struggles, Gosnell trimmed an 11-point Seminole lead to five at 41-36 when Lucas sank one-of-two free throws with 3:39 left in the third quarter.

And it was largely due to the Pirates mimicking the Seminoles defensive strategy of employing the trap.

Yeah, maybe it threw their rhythm off some,” said Clark, “but it wasn’t the first shot that hurt us. It was the second and third shots. There’s really no defense for a second shot, no matter what you play because you’re already out of position.”

However, Osceola closed the quarter on a 13-3 run to lead 54-39 at the end of three.

The Seminoles led by as many as 16 with two minutes to go but Gosnell closed the game on a 5-0 run to set the final.

“We know the effort tonight isn’t going to be quite good enough as you go deeper into the season,” said Basemore. “Yeah, we kicked their butt on the glass but what about the loose balls, stopping penetration, closing out on a shooter? That’s what has me up at night.

“No, never,” replied Basemore when asked if he’d ever be satisfied. “Even if we win by 50, I’ll always find something or two that wasn’t right. That’s the competitor in me. When you become complacent that’s the time to walk away from the game.”

In addition to High’s 25, M.J. Washington tallied 15 and also had six rebounds, while Jeremiah Jacobs joined his teammates in double figures with 11. He had five rebounds.

Gosnell was led by Marcus Anderson’s 18 points. Cam Williams chipped in 12 and Parker Wells 11.

Osceola 68,

Melbourne 47

(quarterfinals)

The Seminoles cruised to the win as nine players reached the scoring column in the rout of Melbourne (17-12).

High was high man again with 18 points, while Long had 15 and Tyler Bell 14.

Osceola led 15-8 after one quarter, 32-20 at the break and 44-40 as the third quarter closed. They outscored the Bearkatz, 24-7, in the final period to set the final.

Melbourne, the three-seed from the 3A-2, was paced by Hayden Edwards’s 15 points. Tanner Williams and Malcolm Hammock scored 11 and 10, respectively.