Boys basketball: No. 6 Palm Beach Lakes stops No. 6 Suncoast

Thursday, January 17, 2013
by Steve Dorsey

Palm Beach Lakes is not a flashy team. The second-ranked Rams just win, and that suits coach Lorenzo Hands just fine.

"We have to be a cohesive team, and when you share the ball, it makes you want to play defense," Hands said Thursday night after visiting Lakes defeated Suncoast 72-59 to complete the Rams' sweep of their longtime neighboring rivals.

The Rams' implementation of that formula for success has translated into a 14-1 record. Speaking of sharing the ball, nine players scored for Lakes, led by sophomore guard Quincy Rideau, who tallied 17 points and also had three steals.

Palm Beach Lakes led by seven points at halftime and stretched its advantage to 12 points by the end of the third quarter.

Sixth-ranked Suncoast trimmed the deficit to 58-53 midway through the fourth quarter with a more patient offensive scheme, but Lakes was nearly perfect from the free-throw line down the stretch that enabled the Rams to beat the Chargers (14-4) by double digits for the second time this season.

Lakes was 22-of-25 from the free-throw line, including 9-of-10 in the fourth quarter.

Senior forward Max Caines scored 12 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds for Lakes. Sophomore point guard Johnnie Coleman contributed 12 points and four assists for the Rams. Kamil Williams, also a sophomore, was the other Lakes player in double figures with 11.

Senior Quinn Cole fed a nice fast-break assist to junior Gito St. Fort, who delivered a rousing dunk to punctuate Lakes' victory as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

"We've improved in the aspect that they're getting to know one another," Hands said of his team's chemistry the first half of the season. "It takes time. We've emphasized that they can impact the game in more ways than just shooting threes. They're starting to feed off each other."

Santige Fornah had a big game for Suncoast, scoring a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Jonathan Odjo contributed 13 points for the Chargers.

No. 1 Grandview Prep 72, Lake Worth Christian 65: Ivan Canete had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Sean Walsh added 20 points and four assists to help the Pride (17-0) hold off the Defenders (12-7) in Boca.

No. 4 Lake Worth 66, Jupiter Christian 23: Alex Burns scored 10 points and Shane Black added six, but the Eagles (4-11) fell to the Trojans in Jupiter.

Dwyer 66, Palm Beach Central 60: Kenny Anders had 16 points and four assists and Bakari Warthen added 12 points and nine rebounds as the Panthers (6-9) held off the Broncos in Palm Beach Gardens.

Coconut Creek-North Broward Prep 57, Benjamin 53: Brandon Shed, Jon Pavlov and Michael Wilson each scored 11 points and Austin Rosenthal added seven assists, but the Buccaneers (11-7) fell to the Eagles in Coconut Creek. Michael Wilson contributed seven rebounds for the Buccaneers.

Boca Raton Christian 80, Donna Klein 59: R.J. Walsh had 45 points, six rebounds and five steals and Michel Heber added 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Blazers (12-5) over the Eagles in Boca Raton.

Oxbridge Academy 59, Trinity Christian 48: Wolphie Eduard scored 14 points, but the Warriors (1-17) fell to the Thunderwolves in Lake Worth.

Morningside Academy 42, Pine School 40: Jack Stubblefield scored 13 points and Declan Sales added 12 rebounds, but the Knights (5-9) fell to the Eagles in Port St. Lucie.