Boys basketball: Latrell Davis' 34-point performance leads First Baptist to Private 8 title
The Lions fell to the King’s last year in the Class 2A regional semifinals.
Latrell Davis wasn’t a part of that First Baptist team but delivered a performance every bit as vengeful as if he experienced it himself.
Davis, a 6-foot-2 combo guard, dropped 34 points in a mesmerizing spectacle, proving nearly unstoppable in stretches to lead the Lions to a 71-66 win in Friday night’s Private 8 Championship game.
“I felt good,” Davis said with a smile, adding that he knew it would be a good night when he started hitting shots early. “It’s a team effort. We’ve been practicing for this, so we knew we had something strong.”
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The Lions joyously celebrated their victory but were quick to put it into perspective.
“It was a big game, and we all came together and got the W, but there’s plenty more games to come, so we just have to stay focused,” Davis said.
The game showcased each team’s offensive firepower – the King’s were led by guard Jay White’s 24 points and Josh Rogosich’s 18 points.
“They’re a very talented team,” First Baptist head coach Scott Stewart said.
The King’s led 50-48 at the half but were immediately stymied coming out of halftime with the Lions limiting them to seven points in the third quarter.
“I think we did a better job in defensive transition in the second half, and we executed a little bit better on offense,” Stuart said.
He also noted the defensive play of Elijah Stuart, who was charged with guarding White. The King's dynamic point guard scored eight points after halftime.
The Lions also thrived in the paint in the second half, limiting the King’s offensive rebounds and finding success attacking the rim — forward Olsen Henry finished with 17 points, while Davis showed off his versatility from all over the court.
The contest fizzled out in the final two minutes when White and Eiram Cuevas fouled out with SFCA trailing 64-57, although the King’s kept it interesting with three made 3-pointers as time dwindled.
With the win, the Lions improve to 14-2 while the King’s fall to 12-7. In the latest FHSAA rankings, First Baptist was ranked outside the top 100 and third among Southwest Florida teams.
Friday’s win could go a long way for a team with its sights set on achieving big things in the postseason.
“Our goal is to get better and better and better before the end of the year,” Stuart said.
Community School 57, Bishop Verot 51
A strong second quarter by the Seahawks helped make a Viking comeback just out of reach in the third-place game at the Private 8 basketball tournament on Friday night.
CSN outscored Verot 23-11 in that stretch before halftime, including an 11-point run.
“It was just enough of a lead to hold them off,” CSN head coach Greg Donahue said. “We got hot there in the second quarter. We hit some threes.”
The team totaled nine made three-pointers – three each for Conor Hayes, Charley Costa and Brennan Ringhofer. Hayes led the Seahawks with 13 points.
The Viking surged back into the contest after a 14-point halftime deficit to make it a four-point game at the start of the fourth quarter.
“In the third and fourth, they did a good job,” Donahue said. “They extended the pressure on us, we were settling for some shots and we didn’t stop them.”
Verot’s Marcos Tejera hit perfect layup after perfect layup to lead all scorers with 24 points while David Portu played tough inside, scoring 13.
The Seahawks stopped the bleeding by upping the pressure on defense, and Ringhofer, coming of the bench, came up with some big shots.
The team's depth shined with eight different players scoring in the victory, and Stefano Schmiedling was a rebounding machine.
It was an important win as the teams are district opponents, and Donahue described the event as a “mini-district tournament” right before districts.
“So it’s nice to see how we do,” he said. “We obviously got to get better because this won’t get it done in the district tournament. Third place— that doesn’t advance.”
Fifth-place game: Canterbury 58, Seacrest Country Day 39
Seventh-place game: St. John Neumann 48, Evangelical Christian 44
Follow News-Press Sports Reporter Dustin Levy on Twitter: @DustinBLevy. For additional coverage of sports across Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Boys basketball: Latrell Davis lifts First Baptist past SFCA
