Kowboys Advance in Boys Basketball Regional Playoffs with First 100-Level Recreation in 45 Years, Defeat Riverview 102-75 – positivelyosceola.com

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Feb 13, 2025 | Sports |
By:  J. Daniel Pearson
There may be little doubt that Riverview ahead Josh Harris gave Osceola some bother Wednesday night time, scoring a game-high 32 factors.  However there’s even much less doubt that the Kowboys beginning 5 gave the Rams a complete lot extra bother, working wild throughout a 102-75 regional playoff win.
The win lifted the Kowboys to 24-3 on the season and they’ll proceed on their playoff journey on Monday night time – internet hosting Tampa Plant in a Class 7A, Area 2 semifinal.  Tip off at Kowboys Gymnasium is 7 p.m.  
Osceola Coach Steve Mason wasn’t positive after the sport, however later confirmed that it was Osceola’s first 100-point playoff recreation in 45 years.  Osceola scored 100 factors twice within the playoffs in the course of the 1982-83 season, when that storied Kowboys staff went 37-0 and received the state championship.
“I suppose that put this staff in some fairly unique firm,” Mason mentioned.  “With 30 years round this program as both a coach or administrator, I’m type of the unofficial historian of Osceola basketball and I wasn’t positive if we had ever scored 100 factors in a playoff recreation.”
It was an offensive present by Osceola from the start.
After falling behind early 8-3, Osceola rallied behind Luke McCrimon’s 10 first-quarter factors to take a 27-19 benefit after one.  And though Harris would maintain the Rams within the recreation by scoring 22 first-half factors, Osceola managed to increase the lead on the half, 52-38.
McCrimon had one other massive quarter with 9 factors within the stanza and Jordan Mundle capped an 8-2 run by hitting a three-pointer from simply contained in the half courtroom line to beat the half-court buzzer.  
About the one adverse of the half got here early within the recreation when beginning ahead Jordan Isaac went down with a foot harm at 6:30 mark.  He would get remedy however wouldn’t re-enter the sport till 2:43 remained within the quarter.  
Though Osceola has a brief bench and barely performs greater than seven gamers in a recreation, Randy Jean-Charles changed Isaac and scored 4 factors to go along with three rebounds and a block in Isaac’s absence. “We’re not a deep staff however I imagine we’ve got 5 starters who can play any place,” Mason mentioned.  “That provides us numerous versatility to maneuver gamers round when one thing like that occurs.”  
Osceola would ramp up the strain on Harris and Riverview within the third quarter.  Though the Rams have been capable of reduce the result in 10 early within the interval, level guard Jordan Mason scored eight straight unanswered factors to push the lead again to 18. The Kowboys protection would restrict Riverview to simply 4 for 13 taking pictures within the interval to construct the result in 24 factors after three, 73-49.
“Harris is a terrific participant,” Mason mentioned.  “At halftime we determined we would have liked to present him some totally different seems to be defensively and it did sluggish him down.”  Osceola restricted the 6-4 junior to simply three factors within the third quarter and 9 within the half. 
With two minutes to go and Osceola up 95-70, Mason emptied his bench.  The Osceola starters would erupt from the sideline when reserve Jamari Lamones hit a layup and back-up Desi Lorenzana adopted with a 3 to place Osceola over the 100 mark.
For the sport, Osceola positioned 4 gamers in double figures.  McCrimon completed with a team-high 28 factors, Mundle had 23 and Mason and Isaac completed with 17 and 16 respectively.  The fifth starter, Helio Quinlan had 5 factors within the recreation however added a number of blocks and massive rebounds.
“This is likely one of the most unselfish groups I’ve ever been round.  Any one of many starters is a able to scoring 20 or extra a recreation,” Mason mentioned.  “However nobody is ever trying to pad their stats.  They’re all the time trying to discover the open man and share the ball.” For the sport, Osceola shot a blistering 39 of 62 (62.9%) from the sector together with 9 of 17 (52.9%) from three level vary.  They have been 17 for twenty-four from the charity stripe.
5 different county groups have been concerned in regional motion on Wednesday night time.  St. Cloud received 20 factors from Malaki Baker, 15 from Josiah Cotto and 14 from Alex Springs, because the #5 seed Bulldogs upset #4 Olympia on the highway, 63-49.
Baker, who was held to 2 factors in St. Cloud’s district ultimate loss to Concord, additionally had 9 rebounds and three blocks within the recreation.  “They have been taller than us at each place, however we performed a tough, bodily recreation,” Head Coach Tommy Billiteri mentioned.  “Each time they’d go on a run, we’d provide you with a giant basket or massive cease.  We displayed numerous psychological toughness tonight.”
It was St. Cloud’s first win on the regional playoff degree in class historical past, pushed them to 24-4 on the season, and can advance  them in a Monday night time 7A, Area 2 semifinal towards top-seeded Windermere (23-5), which eradicated Concord, 68-44.  The Longhorns end their season with a 19-9 report.
In different motion, Poinciana’s (16-11)  season got here to an finish with a 81-58 loss to second-seeded Sarasota (a possible future opponent for Osceola); whereas Liberty (16-6) misplaced a heartbreaking 53=51 Class 4A, Area 2 semifinal to Santa Fe and Gateway (11-12) additionally misplaced a detailed two-point recreation to Auburndale (22-6) in a 5A, Area 2 semifinal, 65-63.
Women’ regional motion takes heart stage tonight (Thursday), when St. Cloud (18-8) entertains Oak Ridge (17-9) in a 7A, Area 2 quarterfinal; whereas Gateway (20-6) travels to Lake Wales (16-8) for a 5A, Area 2 quarterfinal.
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