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Seffner Posts Victory

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By CHRIS ERRINGTON

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 13, 2008

TAMPA - What the Seffner Christian boys basketball team lacks in style, it more than makes up for with hustle and defense. Bayshore Christian discovered that Friday.

Against one of its most important rivals, visiting Seffner Christian (4-2) forced 23 turnovers and used a key 12-2 run spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters to hold on for a 47-45 victory.

"Ugly, ugly game," Seffner Christian coach Roger Duncan said. "There was no flow to it, but to the kids' credit, they fought back. We knew Bayshore Christian didn't have much depth and we just wore them down."

Devin Paularinne scored a team-high 14 for Seffner Christian, while Steven Cunningham added 12 and Will Swartz eight off the bench as the Crusaders turned a 35-30 third-quarter deficit into a 46-39 lead with 2:45 left. Cunningham scored five points during the crucial run, including a 3-point play after a steal.

A B.J. Day 3-pointer with 1:06 left cut the Faith Warriors' deficit to 47-44 and, following a Fred Lewis free throw, Bayshore Christian would get one last chance to tie. However, a driving off-balance layup bounced off the rim as time expired.

Garrett Stenholm scored 11 for Bayshore Christian (2-3), while Wes Spangler added eight.

MILESTONE: With 32 points against Leto on Thursday night, Plant senior guard Sheldon Cooley became the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,617 career points.

VOLLEYBALL: Plant junior libero Ali McCurdy, the defensive specialist for Plant's Class 5A state title team, verbally committed to Duke on Friday.

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