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Pasco's Comeback Bid Falls Short

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By BART O'CONNELL Tribune correspondent

Published: February 20, 2008

EUSTIS - The look of Pasco coach Poncho Broner, red towel over his shoulder, his arms flailing, his brow wincing, showed just how tough it can be to complete a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback on the road.

Every time the Pirates would pull within two possessions of the lead, they would miss a shot or turn the ball over instead of making the difference one possession.

That's how the final eight minutes of Pasco's (21-8) season played out, as Eustis (26-4) held on for a 58-51 win in the Class 4A-Region 2 semifinals.

"Some of those balls, like at the end there, I think we might have been down two or three possessions, and one kid's dribbling it off his forehead, off his knee, off his leg and it would wind up in their hands," Broner said. "It was one of those nights."

Pirates guard Demetrious Larry had 20 of his team-high 21 points in the second-half, spearheading Pasco's comeback attempt. He made four of his first five shots in the third, including a 3-pointer, to cut the Panthers' lead to 9 from 13 at the half.

Larry began the fourth quarter with a fast-break dunk, quieting a Eustis crowd that had been yelling at the Pasco cheering section during a wild, foul-filled finish to the third quarter. Tevaris Jordan followed Larry's dunk with another fast-break basket, and the Eustis lead was down to six.

"He's been our man all year long," Larry said. "We go by him, him and T.J. Bryant. He got hot for us in the second half. He gave us a chance right there. I didn't see anybody quit. We all knew, we've been in that situation before against tough teams. We knew we still had a run in us."

Though Pasco's switch to a man-to-man defense after halftime appeared to be working, the stellar play of guard Frank Popeski (21 points) kept the Pirates from that one chance they were hoping for. He made all eight of his free-throw attempts - four in the final period - as Eustis worked the clock and got more deliberate on offense.

Down 53-48 with a minute left, Bryant (18 points) hit a free throw, then a lay-up, to cut the lead to 4. But Eustis put the game away with a one-handed slam by star forward Kenny Dale (14 points).

"We got down early, on the road, against a good team," Broner said. "All the bounces got to go your way, and as you can see, they didn't."

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