Boys Basketball: No. 8 Atlantic stops No. 4 Lake Worth

Friday, January 18, 2013
by Jeff Greer

Forget any talk about one team or another owning District 14-7A.

After Atlantic raced to a 69-61 win over Lake Worth on Friday night in Delray Beach, which evened the rivals' season series at one win apiece, 14-7A is officially wide open.

"It's a district rivalry; every game against them is tough," Atlantic coach Brad Flaig said. "We let them come back after a fast start. We could've hung our heads, but we kept playing."

Eighth-ranked Atlantic (13-5) started fast and never had trouble scoring. The Eagles took a 26-15 lead after the first quarter, only to see it evaporate as fourth-ranked Lake Worth (16-3) settled down and started trading baskets.

But just like in the first quarter, turnovers crushed Lake Worth in the game's final 10 minutes. Foul trouble kept Lake Worth star Aaron Horne (2 of 5 shooting, four points) on the bench for most of the game's critical juncture.

There was, of course, the added motivation for Atlantic to redeem itself after last week's heartbreaking overtime loss at Lake Worth.

"It seemed like we were fighting uphill all night," Lake Worth coach Murray Smith said. "I thought they had a little more fight than us."

Jamal Palmer (20 points) did most of his damage in open court, punishing Lake Worth for its 20-plus turnovers. And when Palmer or fellow wing Thomas Owens (16 points) were shut out, Atlantic forward Latron Nelson (17 points, 12 rebounds) took over.

Tyler St. Fort added 10 points for Atlantic.

"We can still do better; that's the good thing," Flaig said. "But we did play well tonight."

Eno Pierre-Louis (16 points) and Jerry Oliver (15) picked up the slack for Horne, who even when he was in the game didn't appear in rhythm.

But as much as Pierre-Louis and Oliver's interior scoring helped Lake Worth, the duo's turnovers inside hurt just as much.

"(The turnovers) came from the inside, not from the guards," Smith said. "That was weird. That shouldn't be."

No. 1 Grandview Prep 87, Boca Raton Christian 40: Sean Walsh had 20 points and five assists and Ivan Canete added 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Pride (18-0) coasted over the Blazers in Boca.

No. 7 Jupiter 53, Palm Beach Gardens 43: Evan Zabriski scored 18 points, leading the Warriors over the Gators (1-17) in Palm Beach Gardens. Andrew Degrafenreiet had 10 points and nine rebounds for Gardens.

American Heritage 61, Benjamin 54: Isaiah Hobbs scored 20 points and Michael Wilson added 11, but the Buccaneers (11-8) fell to the Stallions in Palm Beach Gardens.

Cardinal Newman 58, Lincoln Park Academy 55: John Collins had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Andrew Owers added 18 points and eight rebounds to help the Crusaders (11-6) hold off the Greyhounds in Fort Pierce.

Royal Palm Beach 51, Santaluces 40: Peter Strzelecki scored 14 points, but the Chiefs (5-14) fell to the Wildcats in Lantana.

West Boca Raton 72, Olympic Heights 58: Jordan Coblin scored 26 points, but the Lions (2-13) fell to the Bulls in Boca Raton.

Lake Worth Christian 80, Lauderhill-Upper Room Christian 57: Jeantal Cylla had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Junior Luxama added nine rebounds to lead the Defenders (11-7) to the rout of the Soaring Eagles in Boynton Beach.

Berean Christian 56, Jupiter Christian 45: Austin Skelton had 20 points and five rebounds and Josh Taylor added 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs ( 14-4) over the Eagles in West Palm Beach.

Spanish River 56, Boca Raton 51: Brandon Kemmerer had 20 points and 14 rebounds to help the Sharks (13-5) hold off the Bobcats in Boca Raton. Jeff Demezier added eight assists for the Sharks.

Pahokee 67, King's Academy 42: James Johnson scored 21 points and Anton Paige added 16 to lead the Blue Devils over the Lions (7-12) in West Palm Beach.

Park Vista 52, Seminole Ridge 37: Christian Brown scored 10 points to lead the Cobras (12-8) over the Hawks in Loxahatchee.

Village Academy 83, Pope John Paul II 53: Trequan Smith had 19 points and 18 rebounds and Gibson Louis added 12 points and six rebounds to lead the Tigers (14-5) to the rout of the Eagles in Delray.

Glades Day 65, Pine School 45: Jonathon Leon had 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists and Zachary Landing added 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Gators (9-4) stopped the Knights in Boca Raton.

Jensen Beach 59, Boynton Beach 45: Michael Evans had 12 points and seven rebounds and Robbins Christophe added seven points and 10 rebounds, but the Tigers (4-11) fell to the Falcons in Boynton Beach.

Dreyfoos 48, FAU High 47: Kevin Levin's free throw with one second remaining lifted the Jaguars (8-2) over the Owls in West Palm Beach. Munashe Kwangwari, Jordan Oregero and Levin each scored 10 points to lead Dreyfoos.