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Terriers Face Tall Task

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By NICK WILLIAMS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 24, 2009

TAMPA - When Andre Lewis was hired as the boys basketball coach at Hillsborough High in 2007, he inherited a program that was coming off a 7-16 season. The year before, Hillsborough won just two games.

Just months into the job, however, he labeled the program a "sleeper" in Hillsborough County.

A former guard at Western Kentucky and pro player in the CBA, Lewis implemented a college-like practice to turn Hillsborough into a playoff team.

In his first season as coach, the Terriers went 12-15 and lost in the district semifinals. This year, Hillsborough is having its best season since 1996, when it reached the Class 6A state final four, and will host top-ranked Clearwater in the Class 5A region semifinals at 7 tonight.

"Coach Lewis came here determined to win a championship," said senior guard Juan Washington, who leads Hillsborough with 13.1 points per game. "We want to make it to state this year."

"I knew we had the tools, it was just getting these guys to understand," Lewis said. "It took a lot of motivational speeches."

The Terriers (21-8) will have their hands full with Clearwater (25-3), which is led by 6-foot-8 junior and Florida State commit Okaro White, who is averaging 20.7 points per game. They will also have to defend 6-9 senior center Julien Sargent. Hillsborough's tallest player is 6-4 senior Darren Baker.

"Chamberlain had a 6-10 player and we got through them, and Blake had two 6-7 guys," Lewis said. "We're small, but we're quick. It's all about how you prepare."

Washington, a three-year varsity starter, has been pleasantly surprised by the support from the school and community. His first year on varsity, he said no one would attend Hillsborough's home games.

"Back then, you'd see like two players' moms and a few cousins," he said. "Now, you see the whole school. Everybody is talking about coming [tonight]."

The Terriers are 9-1 at home this season.

"If we beat them, that's just another game won," Washington said.

CLASS 6A-2 — SICKLES (24-4) AT LAKELAND (24-2): Sickles senior center and McDonald's All-American John Henson scored 21 points, along with 11 rebounds and four blocks, to lead the Gryphons past Sarasota Riverview in the quarterfinals. The fifth-ranked Gryphons will travel to sixth-ranked Lakeland, a 76-58 winner over St. Petersburg. The Dreadnaughts were led by Quinton Everett's 30 points.

Sickles has yet to advance past the region semifinal round. In 2007, the Gryphons lost to eventual state runner-up Orlando Dr. Phillips, 73-67, in the semis.

CLASS 5A-2 — RIDGEWOOD (26-2) AT KING (21-6): Ridgewood dismantled Newsome in the quarterfinal round, winning 71-36, led by senior guard Alvin Satram's 20 points. King earned its first playoff victory with a 51-44 win against Land O' Lakes, a team Ridgewood defeated three times this season by margins of 31, 10 and 18 points.

The key matchup in this game will be between two Division I players in Ridgewood 6-foot-8 senior center Lukas Poderis (East Tennessee State) and King 6-8 senior power forward Toarlyn Fitzpatrick (Georgia Southern).

CLASS 4A-2 — HUDSON (20-9) VS. SPRINGSTEAD (28-0): Junior guard Chris Russo nailed a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to give Hudson a one-point lead and Jarrod Branco made a free throw with less than a second left for the 64-62 win over Groveland South Lake. Russo finished the game with 23 points while Branco added 22.

Springstead, the ninth-ranked team in 4A, defeated Kissimmee Poinciana, 71-57, to advance.

CLASS 3A-3 — BERKELEY PREP (23-5) VS. FORT MYERS BISHOP VEROT (21-8): Seniors Johnathan Gray, Austin Suarez and Christian Reintgen combined for 56 of their team's 61 points in Berkeley's quarterfinal win over Dunbar. The Buccaneers, ranked fourth in the 3A poll, have not advanced to the region final since 2004.

No..6 Bishop Verot ousted Tampa Catholic, 65-47, to advance, led by senior Brennan Melvin's 26 points.

CLASS 2A-3 — TAMPA PREP (24-4) VS. INDIAN ROCKS CHRISTIAN (18-10): Tampa Prep was eliminated in the semifinals last season by a district rival, falling to Calvary Christian, 47-36.
Tampa Prep and Indian Rocks split during the regular season and the Terrapins defeated the Golden Eagles in the 2A-9 district title game, 51-33.

Senior guard Jake Haslam reached the 1,000-point milestone in Prep's 72-28 quarterfinal win over Santa Fe Catholic.

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 259-7851.

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