Split Verdicts

BROOKSVILLE - The junior varsity basketball game between Powell and host Challenger K-8 battled to the final whistle. It was 19-19 at halftime, but in the end, Powell held on to the slimmest of margins, 36-35.

Down to the wire

Powell Head Coach Paul Duncan had some words for his team at halftime. "They weren't playing with their heads up in the first half. I don't know what it is, we are a slow starting team," said Duncan. "They start playing with their heads up, they start seeing the floor."

The third quarter, although lower scoring, was 5-4 for Powell, and at the end of the third, Powell maintained its one-point lead, 24-23.

"You know, offensively, we're good if they play with their heads up. If they don't play with their heads up we struggle," Duncan continued. "You know what, turnovers are going to happen at this level, so we try to teach to that, we address it in practice, they just happen. But as long as they're playing aggressive and playing with their heads up, I can live with the turnovers because they are progressing; that's the bottom line."

The contest came down to the wire. With 10 seconds left, Duncan called a timeout. The Panthers had the lead 36-33, and the Navigators would get the ball at half court. A turnover by Challenger, a turnover by Powell, and on the next inbound play, Challenger's Connor Foradas made a lay-up to put his team within one, 36-35.

This time, Challenger called the timeout, and Powell had possession. Immediately, Challenger's Ian Beavers committed his fourth foul to stop the clock, and Powell's Wyatt Hessler would get two shots since Beavers' foul was also the team's eleventh.

Hessler, however, missed both free throws (he would end the game with seven points), and Challenger would call their last timeout of the game. But it was too little, too late for the Navigators, and the 5-1 Panthers held on to victory.

Duncan's team had only four scorers.

"Joey (Berrios) has great low post moves and he's not afraid to bang bodies down there," proclaimed Duncan. "Christian (Arroyo) is just a great all-around player. I have him on the point. He plays the off-guard. He has fantastic court sense and he's an absolute beast on the boards.

"Will (Pagan) is a sixth-grader and he's developing. He's not where I think he can be at; he's tentative at times," the coach chuckled. "I can't wait to see where he is next year, but I think coach Dixon will take him.

"I've just got really intelligent players on the team; they want to learn anything we teach them and they absorb it."

Big men get it done for Challenger

In a lower scoring varsity game, Challenger K-8, despite committing 12 second-half fouls, held on to win, 24-18.

Each team scored only three points in the second quarter, and Powell led at the half, 11-8.

"Keep plugging away," chimed Challenger K-8 Head Coach Jeff Laing at halftime. "They were doing a great job of double teaming Tyler (Bergantino) and we've got to realize when somebody does that, there are other opportunities.

"I thought later on we started to see that, and that is what kind of transitioned the game there for us."

Bergantino is Challenger's 6-foot-6 center who Powell double-teamed with its own pair of 6-foot-2 big men, Rashad Vanlow and Marc Berlew.

But Bergantino got into foul trouble with five minutes left in the third quarter and had to sit. That's when John Parker took the reins for the Navigators scoring eight points, and going 4-for-7 from the free throw line.

"John has been a great compliment to Tyler; as teams float toward Tyler, it leaves opportunities for John," Laing explained. "John is a very gifted player and is going to be good later on as well."

Despite Parker's efforts, the difference was the Panther's inability to convert on free throws.

Powell misfired on 11-of-14 from the charity line.

Anthony Fiocca was the lone bright spot, converting three three-point field goals in the first half and finishing with 10 points in the Panther loss.

Laing praised several of his supporting cast.

"Brandon Bell had a couple of shots; if he hits those two big three's, that adds a lot to us," said Laing. "We got great minutes out of Austin Howell and Ian Doyle- yeoman's effort- they were offensive linemen for us in football. They come out tough, set good screens, play good defense, get rebounds."

"I'm proud of our guys," Laing continued. "Powell did a good job; they had a great game plan coming in, but as long as we realize the double team will give us other opportunities, probably the second time through we may not see that double team as much."

Junior Varsity: Powell 36, Challenger 35
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
POW 6 13 5 12 - 36
CHA 9 10 4 12 - 35
POW (36): Berrios 5 1-2 11, Hessler 2 3-9 7, Pagan 1 4-6 6, Arroyo 6 0-1 12, Bench 0, Maner 0, Peleaz 0, Lawson 0, Estrada 0, Spade 0, Wood 0, Spencer 0. Totals 14 8-16 36.
CHAL (35): Beavers 3 0-2 7, Roberts 1 0-0 2, Snyder 6 0-2 12, Bergantino 2 2-3 6, Foradas 3 2-2 8, Roscillo 0. Totals 15 4-9 35.
3-point field goals: CHAL: Beavers, 1.
Total fouls: POW: 9; CHAL 18.
Fouled out: CHAL: Roberts.
Technicals: none.
Records: Powell: (5-1), Challenger K-8(1-4).

Varsity: Challenger 24, Powell 18
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4  
POW 8 3 3 4 - 18
CHA 5 3 8 8 - 24
POW (18): Sollazzo, 0 0-2 0, Vanlow 1 0-1 2, Arroyo 1 1-4 3, Fiocca 3 1-2 10, Berlew 1 1-5 3, Oliviera 0, Bammann 0, May 0, Mazzuca 0, Ellin 0. Totals 6 3-14 18.
CHAL (24): Bell 1 0-1 3, Bergantino 5 1-4 11, Parker 3 4-7 11, Howell 0, Doyle 0, Diven 0, Davilla 0. Totals 9 5-13 24.
3-point field goals: POW, Fiocca 3; CHA, Bell 1.
Total fouls: POW: 13; CHA 17.
Fouled out: CHAL: Diven.
Technicals: POW: Vanlow.
Records: Powell (2-4), Challenger K-8(4-1).