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Osceola's Luke McCrimon brings the ball up in Thursday's District 7A-6 semifinal. He led all scorers with 20 points. PHOTO/DAN PEARSON
An automatic trip to regional playoffs will be on the line when the Osceola boys’ basketball team tangles with the Harmony Longhorns for the third time this season Saturday at 7 p.m. at Lake Nona High School for the District 7A-6 boys basketball championship.
The two teams won hard-fought semifinals games Thursday . Osceola defeated Poinciana, 58-54, avenging a loss to the Eagles in the OBC Championship semifinals. Top-seeded Harmony had to hold off a late charge from host Lake Nona – taking a 55-52 decision.
Osceola, a young team that has overcome a lot of injuries this season, appears to be getting both healthy and hot at the right time. Its win over Poinciana was its fifth in a row and lifted their season record to 13-11. The Kowboys did little wrong against the Eagles, shooting a blistering 62% (24-39) for the game. After a a slow start, Jordan Mundle would score seven points in the first quarter to help stake Osceola to an 18-12 lead. They extended the lead to 10 at the half by using a tight zone that limited Poinciana to just one field goal (1 for 11 shooting) in the second period.
Although Poinciana connected on only two more field goals in the third period, Osceola could not build on their lead as the Eagles made nine of 15 free throws to keep it a 10-point game after three, 45-35.
“We had a chance to put the game away but they dominated on the offensive glass and got us into some foul trouble,” Osceola coach Steve Mason said.
The Eagles used an 11-5 at the start in the fourth to cut the deficit to 50-46 and set up a wild finish. Devin Williams hit a three-pointer and, following a turnover, Jordan Isaac added a bucket as Poinciana closed the gap to 52-51. Osceola’s Mason Fontaine put the lead back to four with a rainbow three from deep on the left side and added a pair of three throws as Osceola took a 57-51 lead.
Still the Eagles were not done. Williams hit a three from the top of the key to make it a three-point game with six seconds left. The Kowboys were able to inbound the ball and Helio Quinan was fouled -- clinching the win by making a free throw.
“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Mason added. “Coach Walls (Poinciana coach Craig Walls) does such a fantastic job with his team. He had them ready to go tonight. It was tough down the stretch but I thought we kept our composure. A lot of their second and third chance points came because of our foul trouble, but overall I was pleased with our effort.”
Mason added that Fontaine’s big three-pointer was the key. “I really wanted to keep working the ball and try to draw a foul or a get an inside shot. When Mason launched it was one of those…no…no…no....but then it went in. Not necessarily the shot I was looking for, but he has a flare for making shots like that when we need it.”
For Poinciana (15-7), it most likely spelled the end for what started off as a promising season. The Eagles had several impressive wins this year and won the holiday Kowboy Classic. Although an at-large regional bid is possible, Walls knows it is probably a long shot. The Eagles lost starting forward Daniel Melendez for the season in the OBC Tournament.
“Melendez’s injury certainly hurt us tonight,” Walls noted. “I feel really bad for our kids because I think they were a regional worthy team. We got off to a slow start tonight but came on strong and had a chance to win this game. Still I was very proud of how this team fought to the end.”
Luke McCrimon led Osceola with 20 points, Mundle added 13 and Fontaine had nine – all in the second half. Isaac led Poinciana with 17, Williams had 14.
The second game was equally exciting. Harmony, playing without starting center Sylus Cory, missed their first seven shots of the game and found themselves in a tight 11-9 battle after one quarter. But Vlad Torrado caught fire in the second period, scoring 12 points, grabbing four rebounds and making three steals as Harmony outscored Lake Nona, 20-12 in the period to take a 31-21 lead into intermission.
A 15-12 advantage in the third extended the lead to 12, but Lake Nona would not go away in the fourth. A 16-4 run by the Lions saw Harmony’s lead shrink to just two at 52-50. Lake Nona had a chance to take the lead off a steal, but a missed three pointer kept Harmony on top. Ivan Ramos connected on one of two from the free throw line for the Longhorns, but Connor Corris hit a bucket with 13 seconds remaining to cut the gap back to one.
Jeremy Penner was fouled with 13 seconds left and made both free throws to push the lead back to three at 55-52. Imanol Zamora missed a potential game-tying three and Penner grabbed the rebound as Harmony ran out the clock.
“Despite their record (6-19), we knew this was going to be a really tough game for us,” Harmony coach Duke Leonardo said. “They beat us earlier this year, played a tough schedule and had a lot of close losses this year. With our big (Cory) out tonight, they had a decided advantage in the paint but Trey Jackson stepped up big time for us tonight. He’s was far from the tallest player on the floor tonight, but he guarded their big man, got a lot of rebounds and held his own.”
It was a total team effort for the Longhorns (21-5). Torrado and Penner had 15 each, Noah Tribe and Ivan Ramos added eight each. Lake Nona’s Corris led all scorers with 19, Tyler Mills had nine.
Although Harmony owns two wins over Osceola this year, Leonardo is expecting a tough game Saturday.
“The two previous games were decided by a total of three points. Osceola is well-coached and they are playing really well right now. Not only are we going to have to find a way to deal with Luke McCrimon, but Osceola has found something in their big guy Jayden Jones. He wasn’t playing much for them earlier in the year, but he is certainly becoming a prominent part of their team. Heading into districts I thought Osceola and Harmony were the two best teams in the district and it has certainly played out that way.”
It will be the second consecutive year the Kowboys and Longhorns have met for the district title. Although Osceola has dominated the county basketball scene for more than a decade, Harmony has won four of the last six against the Kowboys.
“Given our recent history, I am glad we are facing them in the finals,” Mason said. “We’re an extremely young team and this is another challenge we have to get over to continue our maturation.”
Gateway will also play for a championship Saturday after beating Lake Wales, 61-56 in Thursday's District 5A-7 semifinal, a surprising home game as the No. 3 Panthers got to play the No. 7 Highlanders after their shocking quarterfinal win over Lake Region. The Panthers will travel to Orlando face a top-ten opponent in Jones.
"We're playing best ball of the year right now, I've been waiting for it all year," GHS Coach Travis James said. "Thursday may have been our first complete game, with full-out effort. "We've preached that it's 'win or go home,' and it's promising to see that they showed that they aren't done."
Kyle McGregor led with 14 points, one of four guys in double digits. "It wasn't just scoring, the kids just bought in on defense," James said. "Jones at lot like Lake Wales, physical and athletic, and I'm hoping the kids keep the mental edge and go in giving themselves a chance to win."
Thursday night, St. Cloud dropped a 57-46 decision to Bartow in the Class 6A, District 7 semifinals. The Bulldogs now will wait to see if their 19-6 record is enough to warrant a regional at-large bid.
