Even in the end, as it was being dissected, piece by piece, the heart of Orange Park continued to beat.
First they cut out Tony Baker -- five fouls with five minutes to play -- and then David Marlar.
Yet, with less than three minutes remaining in the Region I-6A Basketball Championship at Orange Park High School, and after trailing by as many as 17 points, the Raiders' heart still somehow pumped them to within three points of tying a game against a bigger, faster and more talented Winter Springs opponent.
Raider Clarence Tillman (23) goes up against Winter Springs' "sixth man" Luis Jacobo.
Fittingly, the final beat of an improbable 27-3 season came on long 3-pointer from team-leader Jerome Clyburn as the Raiders bowed out of the playoffs, 74-67, as one of the top eight teams in the state.
"They were bigger than the reports," head coach Daryl Lauderdale said of the Bears. "The kids inside -- one kid about 6-7, the other about 6-5 -- we just couldn't match up with them, heightwise. And they were very strong -- a lot physically stronger than we were."
The visiting Bears (27-3) were known as a team of shooters, with senior guard Lorne Merthie averaging more than 16 points per game. Ryan Gidus, a 6-6 senior post, was not considered a dominant player. But, perhaps trying to take advantage of OP's lack of height, Winter Springs coach Travis Jones played his 6-4 sixth-man, sophomore Luis Jacobo, throughout most of the contest.
Jacobo, with 16 points, finished as his team's second-leading scorer, behind sophomore guard Brian Holmes (19). Merthie added 14.
The Raiders, who hit the floor ice cold in the first quarter while falling behind 11-2, were led by Clarence Tillman with 20 points. Baker added 14 before he came out. Marlar and Clyburn had 12 and 11, respectively.
Here are the recent blog postings with the most comments.