4A-4 District Final: Seffner Christian outlasts Tampa Prep in double overtime

<p>Tampa Prep and Seffner Christian have had endless meaningful games in the regular season and playoffs.</p> <p>Saturday night's Class 4A-District 4 Final was no different.</p> <p>The Crusaders captured their second district championship in three seasons with a 63-61 victory over Tampa Prep on Saturday night at host St. Pete Catholic.</p> <p>In the second overtime, 2019 Tampa Prep guard Jaren Phillips had the lone points of the four-minute session, a single free throw to give the Terrapins a 61-60 lead with under one minute left. Then, off a rebound, 2021 Seffner Christian guard Willie Jones popped a 3-pointer in front of his own bench. That was enough to give the Crusaders the victory.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">2021 Seffner Christian guard Willie Jones with the game-winning 3 to secure the district title for the Crusaders on Saturday night over Tampa Prep. <a href="https://twitter.com/SCACrusaders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SCACrusaders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ColinDeHate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ColinDeHate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TBHomeTeam?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TBHomeTeam</a> <a href="https://t.co/WoQCW5uuY3">pic.twitter.com/WoQCW5uuY3</a></p> — ᴊᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇʀ (@JakePerper) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1096960248697503746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><em>Here are five takeaways from the night.</em></p> <h2><strong>Trigg is the real deal</strong></h2> <p>The best player on the floor all evening was 2021 guard <strong>Mike Trigg</strong>. The Seffner Christian sophomore finished with a game-high 29 points. He forced overtime with a bucket with time expiring in the fourth quarter. He made some important free throws and shots in the first overtime to keep his team alive. Trigg is a strong kid who is very mature and beyond coachable. He has a bright future on the basketball court and this playoff run will do wonders for him and his younger cast.</p> <h2><strong>Phillips doesn't back down</strong></h2> <p>I came away very impressed with 2019 guard <strong>Jaren Phillips</strong> efforts in this one. The Tampa Prep senior leader fell out of the rotation early with two quick fouls. He battled back with 14 points and some huge buckets and free throws in clutch time. Phillips nearly won the game on a corner 3-pointer with one second left in double overtime. Even with a defender in his face, the shot rimmed out. Phillips is a jack of all trades for Tampa Prep with his length, guard ability and aggressiveness. </p> <h2><strong>Jones is a bruiser</strong></h2> <p>Seffner Christian had a very under the radar transfer in terms of the entire state of Florida in 2021 guard <strong>Willie Jones</strong>. Alongside 2019 guard Cornelius Bobo and Trigg, the trio are all lengthy and athletic and can attack, shoot and defend well. Jones added 22 points pacing Trigg which included the game-winning 3 seen above. His energy and toughness is crucial to the Crusader's mojo.</p> <h2><strong>Sharp and Gray are athletes</strong></h2> <p>In the first half alone, 2020 guard <strong>Gabriel Sharp</strong> dropped 18 points for Tampa Prep including 10 points in the second quarter. He helped the Terrapins erase a huge deficit and his shooting ability was prevalent as his side got energy back after that. Fellow 2020 guard <strong>Jaden Gray</strong> had 10 points and was battling in transition all night. He certainly would want some buckets and free throws back, but if he continues to attack, he gives Tampa Prep an added dimension.</p> <h2><strong>What lies ahead for both teams?</strong></h2> <p>Top seed Seffner Christian (21-6) will host Santa Fe Catholic on Thursday night in a Class 4A region semifinal while Tampa Prep (21-7) heads to Oviedo Master's for the second straight year. The winners will meet up in the region final on Feb. 26.</p>