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Bradenton Christian Dumps Seffner Christian

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By KATHERINE SMITH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 24, 2008

BRADENTON - Last year's regional matchup between Bradenton Christian and Seffner Christian came down to the wire, with Bradenton Christian clinging to a three-point victory.

In Saturday night's Class 1A-Region 3 final, Seffner Christian never got that close. Bradenton Christian (26-4) pulled away early and advanced to the state final four with a 68-49 victory.

A rematch of last year's region semifinals, this was Seffner Christian's first trip to the region final. After setting the tempo for the most part in the first quarter, the Crusaders (17-10) felt the momentum shift in Bradenton Christian's favor.

Coach Roger Duncan said the game plan was to stop Bradenton Christian's big guy, 6-foot-5 Cole Hudson, but the Panthers' outside shooters took advantage and started pouring on the 3-pointers, including six in the first half.

"When they hit 3's, I'm not sure if anybody in the state can beat them," Duncan said. "They come 10-deep and they keep wearing you down."

Seffner Christian led through most of the first quarter until Bradenton Christian's Joseph Wood hit a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a three-point lead. Bradenton Christian pulled away in the second quarter with an early 12-4 run led by Spence Purnell's six points in that span.

The Panthers outscored Seffner Christian 25-10 in the second quarter.

"Their spurts are usually second half, but tonight it was the second quarter," Duncan said.

Seffner Christian's Jameson Self opened the second half with one of his three 3-pointers to pull his team within 13 points. But Bradenton Christian went on an 11-2 run to increase its lead to 23.

Seffner Christian cut the lead with a 7-0 run to open the fourth quarter. The Panthers' 23-point lead eroded to 14 as Seffner Christian kept chipping away, but the lead was too much to overcome. Hudson led his team with 14 points, while Seffner Christian's Devin Paularinne had a game-high 20.

"They wore us down," Duncan said. "They got a lot of turnovers because we were tired trying to get the ball to our offense. They killed us on the boards. We gave up so many offensive rebounds."

With a little more than one minute remaining in the game, Bradenton Christian fans began chanting "Final Four," while Seffner Christian fans were left to reflect on what could have been.

"I'm proud of our kids," Duncan said. "This is the first time we've ever been this far. It's another step for our program and we'll be back."

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860 or ksmith@tampatrib.com.

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