Teamwork Pays Off For Berkeley Prep

TAMPA - For the last two seasons, Berkeley Prep boys basketball coach Bobby Reinhart has preached to his players the idea of being balanced and sharing the ball.

Tuesday, in a Class 3A-District 11 game against St. Petersburg Catholic, the team needed to execute that strategy to perfection in order to escape with a 67-55 victory.

After leading 8-3 with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter, Berkeley Prep allowed a 20-0 run by the Barons. Reinhart knew the only way his squad could dig itself out of that hole was to play as a team.

"Our balance makes us good," Reinhart said. "No one is concerned with individual numbers. In this day and age, that's rare."

Three players scored in double figures for the Buccaneers (14-1, 4-0), who jumped to No. 1 in the latest 3A state poll. Junior guard Johnathan Gray led Berkeley with 19 points.

"We understood we messed up," Gray said. "We just stuck together. When faced with adversity, we played team ball."

Berkeley went on a 19-5 run in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 28-27 at the half. Gray scored his team's first nine points of the third quarter and the Bucs outscored the Barons (9-7, 2-1) 21-10 to head into the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead.

"When we did have the ball in the half-court set in the first half, we weren't running anything," Reinhart said. "We regrouped in the second half and our defense played a part in that."

Tracy Parks, who has committed to South Alabama, led the Barons with a game-high 29 points. Parks went on a scoring drought when Gray guarded him in the third quarter.

"It's your job to make it as hard as possible for Parks to take tough shots and that's what I think I did," Gray said.

Senior forward Archie Barnes added 17 points while senior guard Zak Kazanski scored 16 points.

Berkeley will play Bradenton Christian, ranked No. 3 in the 1A poll, on Thursday.

Pinellas Park Stuns Clearwater, 60-54

CLEARWATER - Pinellas Park (15-2) kept its season record against Pinellas County foes unbeaten, stunning Clearwater 60-54 at Jack Wilson Gymnasium.

The loss by the host Tornadoes (15-2) was only the third home loss for Clearwater coach Jack Coit, now in his sixth season at the school.

Facing a formidable inside game from Clearwater, not counting 6-foot-5 point guard Luke Loucks, who has committed to Florida State, Pinellas Park decided to stay outside when it could, utilizing its solid backcourt players.

The philosophy by Patriots coach Allen Carden paid off. Pinellas Park rained 3-pointers - seven total - throughout the game.

A stretch of roughly two minutes in a critical juncture of the fourth quarter demonstrated the Patriots' ball-control savvy.

Clearwater guard Regan O'Rourke had just raced in from the left baseline, scoring on a layup for the Tornadoes' eighth unanswered point to pull within 46-43 with 4:02 left. After a quick Clearwater timeout, the Tornadoes came out of their zone defense in a man-to-man set.

But rather than panic or get excited, the Patriots ran a patient offense, waiting for their opening. It came nearly two minutes later when Cam Carden, near the top of the key, rifled a pass down the lane to a wide-open Jacob Troyli for a dunk and a 48-43 lead with 2:12 left. The Patriots quickly got the ball back and the Carden-Troyli duo connected again for 50-43 lead.

Troyli would later have a block and was fouled. His two free throws gave the Patriots a 58-50 cushion with 26 seconds remaining.

Lee Diekemper