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Points at a premium as Clearwater falls short

It’s a low-scoring affair as Port Charlotte nabs the win on the Tornadoes’ court.
 
Published Feb. 22, 2019

CLEARWATER — Offense was so scarce, it was like Clearwater High’s gym had replaced its modern hoops with the peach baskets of the Naismith days.

Senior-laden rosters for the host Tornadoes and Port Charlotte had the poise to work hard on the defensive end and the patience to explore every offensive opportunity in Thursday’s Class 7A regional opener. In the end, a Pirates squad that was not your typical district runnerup made plays that drew fouls, then converted at the charity stripe, crawling to a 43-36 victory.

Now at 24-1, Port Charlotte will play the team that dealt it its only loss — Charlotte in the District 10 final — for the fourth time this season on Tuesday.

“We take the game back 30 years; we’re methodical and patient,” said Pirates first-year coach Kip Rhoten. “High school teams usually can play good defense for 10-15 seconds, then the discipline breaks down. If we’re patient and take care of the ball, usually we can get something.”

Just two issues with that strategy: Clearwater (which finished at 19-8) didn't break down and didn't yield easy shots. Case in point was a first quarter that finished with the Pirates leading 4-1, going 0-for-9 from the field. However, with a chance to get some early separation, the Tornadoes also went 0-for-9.

“It was a defensive battle,” Clearwater coach Kristopher Foote said. “We pride ourselves on our defense — locking up — and (Port Charlotte) prides themselves on it, too. I told those guys that it was going to come down to getting some key stops and taking care of the ball at key times.”

Getting the ball into the paint, either through deft team passing or the ball handling of point guard Alex Romero (10 points), garnered the Pirates just enough of an edge via foul calls. Senior Chris King (two points), then classmate Gilbert Mendez (five points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots) got into foul trouble for the Tornadoes while the visitors shined at the free-throw line. Their 32 attempts from the stripe almost matched their tries from the field (35, making just nine), while Clearwater was 11-of-14 from the line (10-of-31 from the field).

After a putback from Brandon Gainey (game-high 17 points) gave the Pirates a 20-13 early in the third quarter, the Tornadoes had a brief stretch of offensive heat. Max Jones (eight points and seven rebounds) drilled a stepback 3-pointer, determined guard Nirobi Peeler (12 points) converted a clutch four-point play then freshman C.J. Lee drove for a layup to put Clearwater up for the first time with three minutes left in the period.

The teams swapped leads four times before a pair of crucial possessions went Port Charlotte's way. With just over two minutes left in the ball game, the Pirates got three shots at the lead only to have two of them swatted away by Mendez. The Tornadoes couldn't cash in, but pressed Romero into a panicked court-length pass that slammed off his team's backboard. The ball fell, hit a Clearwater player's leg and rolled out of bounds, with that lucky bounce becoming a lay-in by Tyler Perry (eight points) and a big four-point swing.

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“I think some things just bounced their way,” Foote said, while Rhoten concurred: “That ball off the backboard … that was a big break.”

Peeler retied the score with 1:37 left but those would be Clearwater’s last points as four free throws from sophomore Logan Rogers and two from Perry helped create the final seven-point margin.

“It’s our third year here as a staff and we’re getting better, getting more wins,” Foote said. “The players that came here before us set things up for us to be successful. We’re rebuilding something and it’s a tremendous feeling as a coach. Our guys did a great job leaving their legacy.”

Through it all, one Tornado senior even drew the attention of Rhoten.

“My heart goes out to No. 10 (Peeler). He played his heart out, really played hard and was a great team leader.

“He could hardly shake hands after the game, and you knew it hit him like a ton of bricks that his (high school) career is over. Like, it’s over. I really feel for him.”