Notebook: District Tournament Week & More (Feb. 12)

<p>Somehow, we made it to district tournament week.</p> <p>The 2020-21 high school season has flown by here in Florida despite the endless amounts of cancellations and postponements due to COVID-19.</p> <p>I took in four games between the Class 3A-District 6 Tournament on Wednesday at Clearwater Calvary Christian, a major SIAA tilt between West Oaks and Oldsmar Christian and the Class 3A-District 9 Final between Santa Fe Catholic and Lakeland Christian.</p> <p>Here are the results:</p> <p><em><strong>3A-6 Semifinals</strong></em></p> <h6>St. Pete Catholic 49, Clearwater Central Catholic 47 (1 OT)<br /> <br /> Calvary Christian 58, Northside Christian 46<br /> <br /> <em><strong>SIAA matchup</strong></em></h6> <h6>Oldsmar Christian 76, West Oaks 70</h6> <p><em><strong>3A-9 Final</strong></em></p> <h6>Santa Fe Catholic 68, Lakeland Christian 58</h6> <p>Here is a look at the top performers that stood out to me from the week that was.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818684" first="Alvin" last="Tumblin"]│6-6│Santa Fe Catholic</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="818684" first="Alvin" last="Tumblin"] had the most special performance of any player I saw this week. The 2021 6-6 forward was aggressive from start to finish and earned every single one of his game-high 25 points in the district championship victory over Lakeland Christian. He was cleaning up his own misses, drawing contact and throwing it down (3 dunks). He is a bursty athlete who can play basically any position on the floor. It is no wonder that the likes of James Madison, NJIT, FAU, East Tennessee State and Stetson have offered. More should come here soon.</p> <p>...2023 6-6 forward [player_tooltip player_id="812640" first="Harvey" last="Wilson"] showed up in the second half and worked inside to score which including a one-handed slam at the third quarter buzzer. 2022 6-1 guard [player_tooltip player_id="829403" first="Trey" last="Lane"] surged in the second quarter with six of his 10 points and a fancy reverse finish at the half-court horn. He is in full command of this team. 2021 6-4 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1068744" first="Johnny" last="Torrence"] worked hard from the jump with 13 points and plenty of good unselfish basketball.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953083" first="Bryce" last="Johnson"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="714954" first="Ronnie" last="Johnson"]│Oldsmar Christian</strong></p> <p>The defensive tenacity was there all night for Oldsmar Christian as was the playmaking ability of its top scoring threats. 2021 6-3 guard [player_tooltip player_id="953083" first="Bryce" last="Johnson"] led his side with 22 points and hit some gigantic 3’s down the stretch to keep his team in front. He is a talented shooter who has come a long way as a confident ballhandler and playmaker. He gave it his all. </p> <p>...2021 6-2 guard [player_tooltip player_id="714954" first="Ronnie" last="Johnson"] is locked in right now and it shows. He chipped in 15 points and was shooting it well and doing his thing as a speedy attacker. 2022 6-7 forward [player_tooltip player_id="534887" first="Isaiah" last="Howell"] has so much upside and we saw glimpses of what he can do with a 15-point night. He is lengthy, can shoot the mid-range well and when more strength is added, he’ll be able to finish through contact more often. But he plays so hard already.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709219" first="Matthew" last="Bewley"]│6-9│West Oaks</strong></p> <p>Only one of the Bewley twins made the trip to battle SIAA rival Oldsmar Christian. As Ryan was not in uniform, it was Matt Bewley who was ferocious defensively, blocking shots routinely and being a vocal presence for his side. Bewley scored 16 points and lived at the free throw line. His jumper wasn’t all there but his length was a problem as he skied in for lay-ins and drives.</p> <p>...2021 6-1 guard [player_tooltip player_id="714793" first="AJ" last="Neal"] was the hardest worker on the night for West Oaks as he finished with 19 points. His motor was non-stop and he certainly kept his team in it during a fierce first half. 2021 6-6 guard [player_tooltip player_id="773411" first="Wesley" last="Cardet Jr"]. recorded 17 points as he turned on his production in the second half with an array of finishes at the cup.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1055592" first="Daniel" last="MacGregor"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="818924" first="Griffin" last="Barasa"] │Calvary Christian</strong></p> <p>Combining for 34 points, 2021 6-0 guard [player_tooltip player_id="818924" first="Griffin" last="Barasa"] and 2024 5-11 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1055592" first="Daniel" last="MacGregor"] were everything and more for Calvary Christian in the district semifinal victory. Barasa played his part like always, flying out in transition, leaping up for boards and getting inside for finishes to end up with 15 points. As for MacGregor, he was returning from a broken finger and proved his toughness on the glass and his ability to get inside and attack at will with 19 points. He certainly has major upside as one of the most confident lead freshman guards in the state right now.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818918" first="Drew" last="Kramer"]│6-4│Lakeland Christian</strong></p> <p>All year long, Lakeland Christian burned teams with good offensive possessions and knock down jumpers. In the opening half against Santa Fe Catholic, the game planned work for a while but the visiting team wore the Vikings out. 2021 6-4 Florida College commit [player_tooltip player_id="818918" first="Drew" last="Kramer"] (12 points) is a long-bodied shooter who is a gifted attacker and a fluid defender. He will be steady at the next level. 2021 5-11 guard [player_tooltip player_id="953440" first="Brayden" last="Longaberger"] helped out plenty with 12 points of his own on some key drives. 2021 6-2 guard<strong> Jacob Cabrera</strong> hit some key jumpers in both halves with 13 points.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962497" first="Skyler" last="Scull"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="709243" first="Hayden" last="McCain"]│Northside Christian</strong></p> <p>A team full of sophomores, Northside Christian threw everything it had at Calvary Christian on Wednesday night and up until the final five minutes of the game, it was a back and forth battle. 2023 5-9 guard [player_tooltip player_id="962497" first="Skyler" last="Scull"] was a pest defensively with his ability to turn teams over and push the floor. He led his side with 12 points and hit from his favorite spot, the mid-range often. 2023 5-11 guard [player_tooltip player_id="709243" first="Hayden" last="McCain"] plays off of him well and had 11 points including a few good-looking 3-balls, his specialty. That duo is in sync. Also, 2023 5-11 guard [player_tooltip player_id="962392" first="Tobias" last="Gunter"] had a strong first half to contribute 10 points overall.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="954063" first="Tim" last="Reilly"]│6-10│St. Pete Catholic</strong></p> <p>St. Pete Catholic has gelled over the last month and credit goes to big man [player_tooltip player_id="954063" first="Tim" last="Reilly"]. The 2021 6-10 forward attracts so much attention inside that it gives his guards plenty of space to shoot and drive on their own. He had 13 points in Wednesday’s win. Reilly won’t wow you with his athleticness, but he shoots it well for a player his size and he defends the rim well. A plethora of Division III schools have shown interest in him as of late. 2021 6-0 guard Johnny Shields had 11 points and added a nice touch with his jumper.</p> <p><strong>Owen Elliott │6-3 │Clearwater Central Catholic</strong></p> <p>On Wednesday night, Clearwater Central Catholic played without its top piece in 2021 6-7 forward [player_tooltip player_id="818718" first="Trey" last="Johnson"] who suffered a knee injury earlier in the season. The Marauders clawed back several times against St. Pete Catholic but eventually fell in overtime. 2021 6-3 guard/forward <strong>Owen Elliott</strong> hit big jumpers and drove to the lane often with a game-best 21 points. He is simply a rock-solid varsity player who plays the right way.</p> <p>...2021 6-0 guard <span class="Text__StyledText-jknly0-0 kLcjsH"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818771" first="Fidel" last="Galaura"]</strong> attacked often with 10 points and has been a gritty lead point man for Clearwater Central Catholic the last few seasons.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">This whole sequence is just special from Santa Fe Catholic.<br /> <br /> -[player_tooltip player_id="818684" first="Alvin" last="Tumblin"] (<a href="https://twitter.com/alvintumblin35?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@alvintumblin35</a>) with the block on the other end.<br /> -[player_tooltip player_id="962419" first="Matt" last="Vaughn"] (<a href="https://twitter.com/matt3vaughn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matt3vaughn</a>) with the unselfish quick pass and [player_tooltip player_id="829403" first="Trey" last="Lane"] (<a href="https://twitter.com/treylane110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@treylane110</a>) with the 3-ball.<a href="https://twitter.com/Mdblic2424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mdblic2424</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SFCHawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SFCHawks</a> <a href="https://t.co/ofjQexSl1n">pic.twitter.com/ofjQexSl1n</a></p> — ᴊᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇʀ (@JakePerper) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1360443346016227330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>