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Bulls' Rally Falls Short, Lions Hold On To Win

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By NICK WILLIAMS

nwilliams@tampatrib.com

Published: January 8, 2009

TAMPA - In a matchup of two of the top boys basketball teams in Hillsborough County, King held on to defeat Bloomingdale, 62-58, in a Class 5A-District 8 game Wednesday night.

With 5.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, King sophomore forward Reshard Brown made two free throws to give his team a four-point lead. Bloomingdale turned the ball over on the next play and the Lions (6-6, 3-3) dribbled out the clock to seal the win.

"It's a big win," King coach Sam Lanier said. "It's always good to get a win like this on your home floor."

Bloomingdale trailed 55-44 with 3:53 left in the fourth quarter, but went on a 12-1 run to tie the game at 56 with 1:47 remaining. The Bulls (12-3, 4-2) climbed back into the game without star forward Callum Townsend, who leads the county in scoring with 24 points per game. Townsend, a 6-foot-6 senior, twisted his right knee sometime in the first half and limped into the gym at the start of the third quarter. He sat the entire second half with ice wrapped around his knee that required surgery in the spring after he tore the ACL. He ended the game with four points.

Bloomingdale coach Josh Chapin said Townsend will have his knee evaluated today.

Joe Raga led Bloomingdale with a game-high 17 points, along with six rebounds and four assists. Andrew Donaldson led King with 13 points while Antwoine Gardner added 12.

"I like how hard we played," Lanier said. "We made them work to get open looks."

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