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Wharton Rallies To Top Durant

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By JEFF BERLINICKE

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 24, 2008

TAMPA - Wharton battled back from a halftime deficit to knock off Durant, 59-47, in the championship game of the Alonso Holiday Classic on Tuesday.

It wasn't easy. Durant (9-2) jumped to a 6-0 lead and seemed to be cruising, but Wharton (7-4) kept it close behind the inside play of tournament MVP Xavier Owens (17 points) and Damian Dixon (19).

Both players were key down the stretch, but it was Dixon's 3-pointer midway through the third quarter that tied the game.

On the next possession, A.J. Astroth hit another 3-pointer to give Wharton the lead for good.

"We are getting better every week," Wharton coach David Bastian said. "We have a lot of young players, but we hit a lot of pressure shots tonight and we never gave up after we fell behind."

Trailing 6-0, the Wildcats started to rally. They cut the deficit to 15-12 after the first quarter and took their first lead, 16-15, after Owens pulled down a rebound and put it back.

Durant took the lead back, but Bastian said he knew his team could compete with Durant.

"I am proud of the way we played tonight," Bastian said. "We never quit after falling behind, and I knew we never would."

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