Gateway clinches OBC crown

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Gateway clinches OBC crown

Sports

Thursday, 28 January 2010 01:28

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
Gateway, 16-6, clinched its fifth Orange Belt Conference boys basketball championship in seven years Monday with a dominating 67-37 victory over Liberty Monday at the Panthers gym.
Luis Figueroa (19) and Erick Marino (17) led the Panthers, who won their fifth in a row. The win gave the Panthers a 6-0 record in the conference. Gateway also is in good shape in 6A District 6, where its 3-1 record makes it the No. 2 seed behind Vero Beach at the district tournament.
The only team in the county hotter than the Panthers is Osceola, 17-2 and 8-0 in 5A District 6. The Kowboys haven’t lost since the semifinal round of the Great Florida ShootOut in December.
The Kowboys stopped St. Cloud’s five-game winning streak Saturday at the Bulldogs gym. Osceola has clinched the No. 1 seed at the 5A-5 district tournament and an opening-round bye. Gateway handed the Kowboys, the conference runner-up, one of their losses Dec. 1.
Gateway Coach Bob Baker said his team is playing well because it is balanced as well as talented.
“Luis had 19 and Erick had 17 against Liberty, but Saturday at Harmony (a 55-50 Panther win), David Jerome had 23,” Baker said. “Everybody has played an important role for us, and I think that is our strength.”
Baker has successfully melded a group of players that includes three transfers from Osceola in Figueroa, Marino and Antonio Rucker as well as Jerome, a sophomore who transferred from City of Life Academy.
“I won’t say that here haven’t been a few challenges along the way, but for the most part the kids have done a great job of adjusting to what we do here,” Baker said.
With four-year veteran guard Chris Connolly, averaging 6 points per game, lending leadership to the team, Baker said the Panthers are a threat to claim the district championship.
“I won’t say it will be easy, because we have Treasure Coast in the semifinals and they beat Vero Beach, but we are more than capable if we continue to play well,” Baker said.
The Kowboys, who got 21 points from Brenton Williams and 20 from Jedarian Jackson at St. Cloud, maintained their perfect record in the district (11-0) Tuesday by beating Haines City, 67-43. Williams and Jackson each had 18.
Osceola, riding a nine-game winning streak, is enjoying its best regular season in more than a decade.
The Kowboys wrap up their district schedule Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Davenport Ridge Community.
Osceola plays its final regular-season game at the OHS gym Tuesday against Harmony.
Former Osceola High standout Frank Ford, a high school All-American who led the Kowboys to the 1983 state championship, will be present when his number is retired in a pregame ceremony.
The loss to Osceola did no damage to St. Cloud’s district tournament seeding. The Bulldogs, 11-6, will be the No. 3 seed at the 4A-6 tournament at Poinciana next month.
Celebration, 5-16, has struggled this season after losing two of its top scorers to injuries and ineligibility, but the team beat Tavares, 39-37, in a 4A-6 game Tuesday.
Coach Jeff Bean has the team in contention for a top 5 seed at the district tournament thanks to stellar play from senior Marcus George and junior Rob Machecek.
“The best thing is, defensively we are only giving up around 50 points a game,” Bean said.
Harmony’s Josh Gilbert hit the game-winning free throw in a 56-55 win at Poinciana Tuesday. Dan East had 21 for the Longhorns, 4-14.