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Ridgewood Falls To Clearwater

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By CRISTINA LEDRA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 22, 2007

CLEARWATER - This wasn't the same Clearwater team Ridgewood faced just over a month ago.

The Tornadoes were admittedly a frazzled bunch trying to get everyone to play together, but a few weeks of work was enough for the undefeated Tornadoes to disrupt the previously undefeated Ridgewood Rams 64-56 in the Bright House Shootout. Ridgewood had beaten the Tornadoes 70-67 in a preseason game.

Clearwater's Luke Loucks made all the big plays when he needed to and the Tornadoes (12-0) stretched their lead to 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Ridgewood (7-1) fought back but couldn't get closer than six points before the game ended.

"We can't play dumb down the stretch," Loucks said. "That game could have gone either way. I mean, we were missing so many free throws and they were making theirs and that's the way it goes sometimes but luckily we pulled it out."

Clearwater had four players in double-figure scoring - Loucks, Sean O'Brien with 14 and Rhett Franklin and Adam Pegg both with 13.

But it was Clearwater's defense that Ridgewood couldn't get past. The Tornadoes clogged the lane with their size and gave the Rams little room to work with on the perimeter.

"I told the kids at halftime that when you're playing good teams you're going to have some disappointing possessions as well as some really good possessions but you gotta handle the disappointing ones," Ridgewood coach Gary Anders said. "And I think what was happening was we'd make a mistake, like we'd miss a shot, and it would carry over into the defensive possession."

St. Petersburg erased a seven-point deficit in less than 30 seconds to take Newsome to overtime, but Newsome pulled away in the extra period to win 61-57.
Samal Shepherd led the Wolves in scoring with 23 points.

TAMPA CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS: It took four overtimes for Chamberlain to defeat previously unbeaten Plant 62-57 in the semifinals of the City of Tampa Championship on Friday night at Tampa Prep.
Chamberlain will play Tampa Prep, which beat Hillsborough 61-30 in the semifinals, in tonight's championship game.

The Chiefs came back from a six-point deficit to force a third overtime. Chamberlain, down by as much as four in triple overtime, sent it to a fourth when Dontae Aycock made two free throws.

Dantavis Atkins put Chamberlain up by five with a 3-pointer with a little more than one minute remaining in the final overtime. Atkins, who led the Chiefs with 21 points, solidified the upset with two free throws. Sheldon Cooley Jr. led Plant with 18 points.

Katherine Smith

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