Bartow Basketball
"The Home of Champions"
Samarrippas Lifts Jackets in
Basketball Opener, 60-52
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boys' basketball team kicked off its regular season Monday night against the Lake Region Thunder with a 60-52 win.
The Jackets start the season as the number-four ranked team in Class 4A. Bartow came into the contest after winning both of their pre-season games with solid wins over Gulf Coast and DeSoto County.
The Thunder controlled the tip, but the Jacket defense forced a traveling call. That was followed by a bucket from Vincent Reid, giving the Jackets their first lead of the regular season.
The lead would quickly grow to 12-2 with 3:34 left in the first quarter with another bucket from Reid, followed by a three-pointer for Weedlens Beauvil. Shawn Montgomery would add two points with Beauvil drilling another three-pointer, causing the Thunder to call a timeout.
The Jackets start the season as the number-four ranked team in Class 4A. Bartow came into the contest after winning both of their pre-season games with solid wins over Gulf Coast and DeSoto County.
The Thunder controlled the tip, but the Jacket defense forced a traveling call. That was followed by a bucket from Vincent Reid, giving the Jackets their first lead of the regular season.
The lead would quickly grow to 12-2 with 3:34 left in the first quarter with another bucket from Reid, followed by a three-pointer for Weedlens Beauvil. Shawn Montgomery would add two points with Beauvil drilling another three-pointer, causing the Thunder to call a timeout.
After the timeout, the Jackets would only add one more point in the quarter on a Jamal Lawson free-throw, as the game headed to the second quarter 13-6 in favor of the Jackets
At the start of the second quarter, the Jackets extended their lead with Richard Murvin hitting a jumper, Jeremiah Samarrippas canning a three, and Reid hitting another jump shot to bring the score to 20-8 with 6:49 left in first half.
After another Thunder timeout, Lake Region would outscore the Jackets 10-8, sending the game to halftime with the Jackets leading 28-18.
The Thunder had upset on their minds as they stormed out of halftime with a 12-1 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter, giving Lake Region its first lead of the game, 30-29.
With 4:09 remaining in the quarter, Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff called timeout and had a spirited discussion with his Jackets.
Whatever McGriff said certainly got the attention of his players as Bartow went on an 11-2 run, giving Bartow a 40-32 lead heading to the fourth quarter. The run was led by Beauvil who made two huge three-pointers that gave the Jackets the momentum back.
The fourth quarter was the Samarrippas show. The Jacket point guard had his problems in beginning of the game with his passing, but when it mattered, he took over the game and led the Jackets.
The Thunder would get no closer than five points the rest of the way as Samarrippas used terrific ball penetration to score 14 points in the quarter and secure a Bartow 60-52 victory over the feisty Lake Region Thunder.
When asked if Samarrippas is the leader of the 2008-2009 Yellow Jacket Basketball Team, McGriff said, “Tonight he was; tomorrow night it will be someone else.”
The point is a valid one as this team has nine to 10 players who can score in double figures on any given night.
McGriff also was asked if he thought his team played sloppy or if the pressure of being so highly ranked added some tension for the players. “It wasn't that we played bad - they (Lake Region) made some tough shots,” McGriff said. “They raised their level of play. It's a learning process for them (Jacket players).”
When asked what he saw in the second half that opened things up for him, Samarrippas said, “I was trying not to think too much like I did in the first half. I think ‘pass first, shoot second,' but I was struggling with forcing the pass so coach told me to drive to the basket.”
Samarrippas led all scores with 22 points, with Beauvil adding 16 and Reid chipping in with nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Jackets (1-0) will be back in action Thursday night as they celebrate Sponsor Night at The Hive when they take on the visiting Spoto Spartans in an early district contest.
After the Thursday home game, the Jackets will head to Lake Wales for another early district contest as they take on the Highlanders.
Varsity games tip off at 7:30 p.m. with junior varsity games tipping prior at 6 p.m.
At the start of the second quarter, the Jackets extended their lead with Richard Murvin hitting a jumper, Jeremiah Samarrippas canning a three, and Reid hitting another jump shot to bring the score to 20-8 with 6:49 left in first half.
After another Thunder timeout, Lake Region would outscore the Jackets 10-8, sending the game to halftime with the Jackets leading 28-18.
The Thunder had upset on their minds as they stormed out of halftime with a 12-1 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter, giving Lake Region its first lead of the game, 30-29.
With 4:09 remaining in the quarter, Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff called timeout and had a spirited discussion with his Jackets.
Whatever McGriff said certainly got the attention of his players as Bartow went on an 11-2 run, giving Bartow a 40-32 lead heading to the fourth quarter. The run was led by Beauvil who made two huge three-pointers that gave the Jackets the momentum back.
The fourth quarter was the Samarrippas show. The Jacket point guard had his problems in beginning of the game with his passing, but when it mattered, he took over the game and led the Jackets.
The Thunder would get no closer than five points the rest of the way as Samarrippas used terrific ball penetration to score 14 points in the quarter and secure a Bartow 60-52 victory over the feisty Lake Region Thunder.
When asked if Samarrippas is the leader of the 2008-2009 Yellow Jacket Basketball Team, McGriff said, “Tonight he was; tomorrow night it will be someone else.”
The point is a valid one as this team has nine to 10 players who can score in double figures on any given night.
McGriff also was asked if he thought his team played sloppy or if the pressure of being so highly ranked added some tension for the players. “It wasn't that we played bad - they (Lake Region) made some tough shots,” McGriff said. “They raised their level of play. It's a learning process for them (Jacket players).”
When asked what he saw in the second half that opened things up for him, Samarrippas said, “I was trying not to think too much like I did in the first half. I think ‘pass first, shoot second,' but I was struggling with forcing the pass so coach told me to drive to the basket.”
Samarrippas led all scores with 22 points, with Beauvil adding 16 and Reid chipping in with nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Jackets (1-0) will be back in action Thursday night as they celebrate Sponsor Night at The Hive when they take on the visiting Spoto Spartans in an early district contest.
After the Thursday home game, the Jackets will head to Lake Wales for another early district contest as they take on the Highlanders.
Varsity games tip off at 7:30 p.m. with junior varsity games tipping prior at 6 p.m.
Beauvil Nets 25 Points in
Jacket District Opener
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boy's basketball team (1-0) took on the Spoto Spartans at The Hive Thursday in an early district match-up.
Bartow jumped on the visiting team early with an 8-0 run to start the game. The Jackets grew the lead to 14-2 before the Spartans took a timeout with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
After the timeout, Spoto outscored the Jacket 4-3, with Bartow heading to the second quarter with a 17-6 lead.
When the Jackets began to play sloppy on Monday night against Lake Region, Jeremiah Samarrippas took the team on his back and led the Jackets to a victory.
Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff commented after the game that it was Samarrippas leading Bartow that night, but the next game it could be someone else. It was an indirect reference to the depth of this year's Jacket team, which is ranked #4 in Class 4A.
Well, McGriff was right as Bartow was led in the second quarter by Weedlens Beauvil who netted 10 of Bartow's 14 second quarter points, giving the Jackets a 31-20 halftime advantage.
Bartow grew that advantage to 50-36 after three quarters of play with Beauvil adding eight more points.
The Jackets finally put the hammer down in the fourth quarter as they hung 30 points on the Spartans and won the game 80-60.
Beauvil finished the game with 25 points. Reggie Polite added 11 points with Samarrippas contributing nine points and a number of sensational assists to help spark the Jackets and raise their record to 2-0 (1-0 in district play).
After the game, McGriff was asked if he was pleased with the Jackets effort. “We are winning, but we aren't hitting our stride yet.,” McGriff said. “We have people hurt, but we are going to get healthy and we will get better.”
This is an exciting team to watch - just think how many points they can score if they stop turning the ball over and get the full rotation back. Scary!
Friday night the Jackets traveled to Lake Wales for another early season district battle. The game went past the printing deadline, so look for complete coverage in the Wednesday edition of The Democrat.
Bartow jumped on the visiting team early with an 8-0 run to start the game. The Jackets grew the lead to 14-2 before the Spartans took a timeout with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
After the timeout, Spoto outscored the Jacket 4-3, with Bartow heading to the second quarter with a 17-6 lead.
When the Jackets began to play sloppy on Monday night against Lake Region, Jeremiah Samarrippas took the team on his back and led the Jackets to a victory.
Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff commented after the game that it was Samarrippas leading Bartow that night, but the next game it could be someone else. It was an indirect reference to the depth of this year's Jacket team, which is ranked #4 in Class 4A.
Well, McGriff was right as Bartow was led in the second quarter by Weedlens Beauvil who netted 10 of Bartow's 14 second quarter points, giving the Jackets a 31-20 halftime advantage.
Bartow grew that advantage to 50-36 after three quarters of play with Beauvil adding eight more points.
The Jackets finally put the hammer down in the fourth quarter as they hung 30 points on the Spartans and won the game 80-60.
Beauvil finished the game with 25 points. Reggie Polite added 11 points with Samarrippas contributing nine points and a number of sensational assists to help spark the Jackets and raise their record to 2-0 (1-0 in district play).
After the game, McGriff was asked if he was pleased with the Jackets effort. “We are winning, but we aren't hitting our stride yet.,” McGriff said. “We have people hurt, but we are going to get healthy and we will get better.”
This is an exciting team to watch - just think how many points they can score if they stop turning the ball over and get the full rotation back. Scary!
Friday night the Jackets traveled to Lake Wales for another early season district battle. The game went past the printing deadline, so look for complete coverage in the Wednesday edition of The Democrat.
Jackets Come Back For
Win Over Highlanders
By NEAL DUNCAN, Correspondent
Attention all opponents that play the Bartow High School boys’ basketball team: don’t make them mad.
Friday night before anyone knew what had happened, the Lake Wales basketball team jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead. Bad move!
“Even though it was 10-0, we were rebounding the ball well and we were playing good defense,” said Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff. “The problem was we were turning the ball over and taking bad shots.”
The Jackets corrected their issues in short order and went on a 19-6 run that saw Bartow head to the second quarter with a 19-16 lead. The Jackets never looked back after that.
Friday night before anyone knew what had happened, the Lake Wales basketball team jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead. Bad move!
“Even though it was 10-0, we were rebounding the ball well and we were playing good defense,” said Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff. “The problem was we were turning the ball over and taking bad shots.”
The Jackets corrected their issues in short order and went on a 19-6 run that saw Bartow head to the second quarter with a 19-16 lead. The Jackets never looked back after that.
Bartow’s explosive offense added another 18 points in the second quarter, sending the game to halftime with the Jackets leading 37-25.
The Jackets didn’t let up in the third quarter as they increased their lead by 10 more points, outscoring the Highlanders 20-10 as the game went to the fourth quarter with Bartow leading 57-35.
Bartow added 16 points in the fourth, remaining unbeaten and securing their third win of the season and, more importantly, upping their district record to 2-0 with a 73-48 win over arch-rival Lake Wales.
The Jackets were led in scoring by Weedlens Beauvil with 23 and Reggie Polite with 15. Bartow also got 11 points and seven assists from Jeremiah Samarrippas. Banging the boards for Bartow were Vincent Reid with 12 rebounds and Jeff Thomas with 11.
The Jackets took on Tenoroc High School Tuesday night in Lakeland. The game went past the print deadline for the Democrat, so look for details of the game in Saturday’s paper.
Bartow’s next home game is Friday night at The Hive as a very talented Haines City team comes calling to take on the #4 ranked Yellow Jackets. The junior varsity game tips at 6 p.m., with the varsity game following at approximately 7:30 p.m. This will be a key district matchup, so the Jacket Nation needs to fill The Hive to support what might be the best team Bartow has seen since the 1988 State Championship Team.
The Jackets didn’t let up in the third quarter as they increased their lead by 10 more points, outscoring the Highlanders 20-10 as the game went to the fourth quarter with Bartow leading 57-35.
Bartow added 16 points in the fourth, remaining unbeaten and securing their third win of the season and, more importantly, upping their district record to 2-0 with a 73-48 win over arch-rival Lake Wales.
The Jackets were led in scoring by Weedlens Beauvil with 23 and Reggie Polite with 15. Bartow also got 11 points and seven assists from Jeremiah Samarrippas. Banging the boards for Bartow were Vincent Reid with 12 rebounds and Jeff Thomas with 11.
The Jackets took on Tenoroc High School Tuesday night in Lakeland. The game went past the print deadline for the Democrat, so look for details of the game in Saturday’s paper.
Bartow’s next home game is Friday night at The Hive as a very talented Haines City team comes calling to take on the #4 ranked Yellow Jackets. The junior varsity game tips at 6 p.m., with the varsity game following at approximately 7:30 p.m. This will be a key district matchup, so the Jacket Nation needs to fill The Hive to support what might be the best team Bartow has seen since the 1988 State Championship Team.
Jackets Keep Perfect Record
Weedlens Beauvil takes a charge against Tenoroc High School on Tuesday night. The Jackets will be in action at home on Monday night
against the Kathleen Red Devils in a match up of two of the top 10 teams in the state. — (Photo by Neal Duncan)
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boys’ basketball team beat Tenoroc High Tuesday night to remain perfect on the season, upping their record to 4-0 (3-0 in district play).
However, the game was anything but perfect for the Jackets as they turned the ball over 31 times and shot a dismal 36 percent from the free throw line with a nine for 25 night.
That was the bad news of the game; the good news is the Jackets still won by 22 points with a 62-40 score over the first-year school.
The Titans of Tenoroc did a great job of hanging with Bartow, who is now ranked #3 in Class 4A. Tenoroc took advantage of the Jacket mistakes, trailing only by four at halftime with the score 31-27.
However, the game was anything but perfect for the Jackets as they turned the ball over 31 times and shot a dismal 36 percent from the free throw line with a nine for 25 night.
That was the bad news of the game; the good news is the Jackets still won by 22 points with a 62-40 score over the first-year school.
The Titans of Tenoroc did a great job of hanging with Bartow, who is now ranked #3 in Class 4A. Tenoroc took advantage of the Jacket mistakes, trailing only by four at halftime with the score 31-27.
The Jacket faithful sat stunned as the team headed to halftime.
Whatever was said by Head Coach Terrence McGriff and his staff at halftime worked as the Jackets somewhat returned to their normal domination of opponents as Bartow outscored Tenoroc 23-7 in the third quarter to grab a 20-point lead.
The quarter started out sloppy for the Jackets as they continued to turn the ball over. However, it all turned around with just over five minutes left in the quarter as Reggie Polite made a sensational block on a Titan shot.
Bartow took the ball down the court and saw Jeremiah Samarrippas drill a three-pointer, starting a 19-5 run that deflated the upset-minded Titans.
Samarrippas led Bartow with 16 points and 10 assists on the night. Also coming up big were Weedlens Beauvil with 13 points, Jeffrey Thomas with 12 points and Vincent Reid and Polite with nine rebounds each.
When asked if the team was overconfident or just going through the motions during the game, McGriff said, “It’s our mentality right now. We wait until we get hit in the mouth before we start playing.
“It’s not that we are playing down, it’s that we have the X on our back this year and every team is going to give us their best shot.
“We have people hurt and we have not had our full line up yet this season,” he continued. “We will get healthy and we will get better as the season goes on.”
The Jackets took on Haines City Friday night in a key district contest. The game went past the print deadline, so look for details of the game in Wednesday’s Democrat.
Bartow’s next home game is Monday as the Kathleen Red Devils come to town for another huge district battle.
Kathleen is ranked #6 in the state, so the Jacket Nation needs to come out in full force for the game as Bartow looks to beat Kathleen for the first time in over a decade.
Whatever was said by Head Coach Terrence McGriff and his staff at halftime worked as the Jackets somewhat returned to their normal domination of opponents as Bartow outscored Tenoroc 23-7 in the third quarter to grab a 20-point lead.
The quarter started out sloppy for the Jackets as they continued to turn the ball over. However, it all turned around with just over five minutes left in the quarter as Reggie Polite made a sensational block on a Titan shot.
Bartow took the ball down the court and saw Jeremiah Samarrippas drill a three-pointer, starting a 19-5 run that deflated the upset-minded Titans.
Samarrippas led Bartow with 16 points and 10 assists on the night. Also coming up big were Weedlens Beauvil with 13 points, Jeffrey Thomas with 12 points and Vincent Reid and Polite with nine rebounds each.
When asked if the team was overconfident or just going through the motions during the game, McGriff said, “It’s our mentality right now. We wait until we get hit in the mouth before we start playing.
“It’s not that we are playing down, it’s that we have the X on our back this year and every team is going to give us their best shot.
“We have people hurt and we have not had our full line up yet this season,” he continued. “We will get healthy and we will get better as the season goes on.”
The Jackets took on Haines City Friday night in a key district contest. The game went past the print deadline, so look for details of the game in Wednesday’s Democrat.
Bartow’s next home game is Monday as the Kathleen Red Devils come to town for another huge district battle.
Kathleen is ranked #6 in the state, so the Jacket Nation needs to come out in full force for the game as Bartow looks to beat Kathleen for the first time in over a decade.
Jackets Lose Heartbreaker But Bounce
Back to Knock Off Kathleen
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
What does it mean to be the third ranked team in Class 4A?
It means that you are going to get every team’s best shot.
The Bartow High School boys’ basketball team has a chance to have a very special season this year and every team on their schedule knows it.
After coasting to a perfect 4-0 start, the Jackets took on an undefeated Haines City team Friday night at home.
It means that you are going to get every team’s best shot.
The Bartow High School boys’ basketball team has a chance to have a very special season this year and every team on their schedule knows it.
After coasting to a perfect 4-0 start, the Jackets took on an undefeated Haines City team Friday night at home.
The Hornets came to The Hive to challenge the Jackets and that’s just what they did.
Haines City hung close in the first quarter, with Bartow holding a three-point advantage, 16-13.
The Jackets increased their lead to seven points as the game went to the break with the score 33-25.
The wheels started coming off for Bartow in the third quarter as they turned over the ball often and Haines City got really aggressive, taking the ball to the basket. The Jackets surrendered the lead as the game headed to the fourth quarter with the game tied 42-42.
The Jackets tied up the game with 6:05 left in the game on a Weedlens Beauvil three-pointer. After a defensive stop, Vince Reid made both free throws from a one-and-one situation that gave Bartow their last lead of the game with the score 48-46 with 4:42 left.
After that, the Jackets had numerous chances to put the game away, but turnovers continued to be Bartow’s Achilles’ heel.
In fact, Bartow had the ball back with 8.4 seconds left and the game tied 57-57, but another Jacket miscue gave the Hornets the ball back.
Haines City took the ball down the court and their first shot was missed but an offensive rebound and put back went in the basket as timed expired, giving Haines City an upset victory over the #3 team in the state, 59-57.
Head Coach Terrence McGriff was asked if an early season loss is good for a team that is so highly ranked but hasn’t yet played up to their potential. “It may be, but right now it tears your gut up, especially when the loss is a district game.”
The Jackets’ woeful free throw shooting and turnover problems were the difference in the game. The Jackets had 24 turnovers and shot a horrible 47 percent from the free throw line. Not two numbers you expect from a team thought to be chasing a state championship.
The loss dropped the Jackets record to 4-1 (3-1 in district play) with Kathleen High School coming to town Monday night.
Bartow hadn’t beat Kathleen in basketball since 1995 and the Red Devils have gone to the state championship game the last two straight years. Needless to say, there wasn’t much time for the Jackets to feel sorry for themselves.
The game would be a true test of Bartow’s character and skill as Kathleen came in the game ranked #6 in the state. More importantly, a victory would be a tremendous boost for the Jackets as they could get the “monkey” off their back and end “the streak.”
From the opening tip, it was clear that this game was going to be back and forth the entire contest. Neither team could gain more than a three-point advantage, with Bartow pulling ahead 11-10 as the first quarter ended.
The second quarter saw the game get extremely physical as both teams played aggressive defense. The Jackets would increase the lead by only one as they headed to halftime with a 23-21 lead.
The Red Devils were able to stay with Bartow as the Jackets continued to struggle with turnovers, as they committed nine in the first half and shot a poor nine-for-16 from the free throw line.
It seemed as if the Jackets were going to be able to pull away early in the third quarter as Jamal Lawson hit an early bucket, followed by a Reid layup.
Then Beauvil was fouled on a three-pointer, but he was unable to hit any of the free throws and the game remained close with the score 27-25 with 4:46 left in the third.
From there, Kathleen went on a 13-8 run to end the quarter with a 38-35 lead. Once again the turnovers and missed opportunities at the free throw line were hurting the Jackets.
Bartow came out in the fourth quarter with a look of determination that the Jacket Nation had yet to see from the team.
Lawson went up strong for two to open the quarter, that was followed by a Reggie Polite bucket that gave the Jackets a 39-38 lead with 7:09 left in the game.
After another good defensive stop, Bartow’s Beauvil went to the line and made two free throws, extending the Jackets run to 6-0 to start the final quarter of play.
Bartow would open the lead up to 54-48 with 1:12 left in the game when Kathleen Head Coach Drew Taylor was called for a technical foul. The referees had been more than accommodating to the coach in this heated district game, but they had finally had enough and assessed the technical.
Beauvil made one of two technical foul shots and Jeremiah Samarrippas made both of his foul shots that followed, giving Bartow a 57-48 lead.
The Jackets held the lead over the last minute and won the game 61-53, thus ending the 12-year losing streak to the Kathleen Red Devils.
Bartow was lead in the game by Beauvil with 13 points, Polite with 12 points, Lawson with 10 points and seven rebounds, and Reid with six points and 10 rebounds.
The Jacket record now stands at 5-1 (4-1 in district play) with Bartow back in action at The Hive Thursday night against the Mulberry Panthers.
Haines City hung close in the first quarter, with Bartow holding a three-point advantage, 16-13.
The Jackets increased their lead to seven points as the game went to the break with the score 33-25.
The wheels started coming off for Bartow in the third quarter as they turned over the ball often and Haines City got really aggressive, taking the ball to the basket. The Jackets surrendered the lead as the game headed to the fourth quarter with the game tied 42-42.
The Jackets tied up the game with 6:05 left in the game on a Weedlens Beauvil three-pointer. After a defensive stop, Vince Reid made both free throws from a one-and-one situation that gave Bartow their last lead of the game with the score 48-46 with 4:42 left.
After that, the Jackets had numerous chances to put the game away, but turnovers continued to be Bartow’s Achilles’ heel.
In fact, Bartow had the ball back with 8.4 seconds left and the game tied 57-57, but another Jacket miscue gave the Hornets the ball back.
Haines City took the ball down the court and their first shot was missed but an offensive rebound and put back went in the basket as timed expired, giving Haines City an upset victory over the #3 team in the state, 59-57.
Head Coach Terrence McGriff was asked if an early season loss is good for a team that is so highly ranked but hasn’t yet played up to their potential. “It may be, but right now it tears your gut up, especially when the loss is a district game.”
The Jackets’ woeful free throw shooting and turnover problems were the difference in the game. The Jackets had 24 turnovers and shot a horrible 47 percent from the free throw line. Not two numbers you expect from a team thought to be chasing a state championship.
The loss dropped the Jackets record to 4-1 (3-1 in district play) with Kathleen High School coming to town Monday night.
Bartow hadn’t beat Kathleen in basketball since 1995 and the Red Devils have gone to the state championship game the last two straight years. Needless to say, there wasn’t much time for the Jackets to feel sorry for themselves.
The game would be a true test of Bartow’s character and skill as Kathleen came in the game ranked #6 in the state. More importantly, a victory would be a tremendous boost for the Jackets as they could get the “monkey” off their back and end “the streak.”
From the opening tip, it was clear that this game was going to be back and forth the entire contest. Neither team could gain more than a three-point advantage, with Bartow pulling ahead 11-10 as the first quarter ended.
The second quarter saw the game get extremely physical as both teams played aggressive defense. The Jackets would increase the lead by only one as they headed to halftime with a 23-21 lead.
The Red Devils were able to stay with Bartow as the Jackets continued to struggle with turnovers, as they committed nine in the first half and shot a poor nine-for-16 from the free throw line.
It seemed as if the Jackets were going to be able to pull away early in the third quarter as Jamal Lawson hit an early bucket, followed by a Reid layup.
Then Beauvil was fouled on a three-pointer, but he was unable to hit any of the free throws and the game remained close with the score 27-25 with 4:46 left in the third.
From there, Kathleen went on a 13-8 run to end the quarter with a 38-35 lead. Once again the turnovers and missed opportunities at the free throw line were hurting the Jackets.
Bartow came out in the fourth quarter with a look of determination that the Jacket Nation had yet to see from the team.
Lawson went up strong for two to open the quarter, that was followed by a Reggie Polite bucket that gave the Jackets a 39-38 lead with 7:09 left in the game.
After another good defensive stop, Bartow’s Beauvil went to the line and made two free throws, extending the Jackets run to 6-0 to start the final quarter of play.
Bartow would open the lead up to 54-48 with 1:12 left in the game when Kathleen Head Coach Drew Taylor was called for a technical foul. The referees had been more than accommodating to the coach in this heated district game, but they had finally had enough and assessed the technical.
Beauvil made one of two technical foul shots and Jeremiah Samarrippas made both of his foul shots that followed, giving Bartow a 57-48 lead.
The Jackets held the lead over the last minute and won the game 61-53, thus ending the 12-year losing streak to the Kathleen Red Devils.
Bartow was lead in the game by Beauvil with 13 points, Polite with 12 points, Lawson with 10 points and seven rebounds, and Reid with six points and 10 rebounds.
The Jacket record now stands at 5-1 (4-1 in district play) with Bartow back in action at The Hive Thursday night against the Mulberry Panthers.
Jackets Rout Panthers, 66-31
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Last Thursday night the Bartow Yellow Jacket Boy’s Basketball team took on Mulberry High School at The Hive.
The Jackets were coming off an embarrassing loss to the Auburndale Bloodhounds on Tuesday night that saw Bartow waste many opportunities to win the game.
They eventually lost in overtime, 53-51. Bartow looked flat after an emotional and physically draining victory the night before against the Kathleen Red Devils.
The loss dropped the Jackets record to 5-2 (4-1 in district play).
As was the case in the Auburndale game, the Jackets were a heavy favorite to beat the Panthers of Mulberry. Early in the game it looked as if Bartow was still on hiatus from good quality Jacket basketball.
The game was tied at 10-10 with 2:58 left in the first quarter when Bartow went on a 6-0 run to finish the quarter with a 16-10 lead.
Even with poor shooting, the Jackets extended their second quarter lead to 23-13 with 3:23 left before halftime.
Bartow seemed poised to hit the accelerator and leave the Panthers in the dust, but Mulberry ended the half with a 6-3 run to cut the lead to seven points, 26-19.
Bartow is a talented team that can score a lot of points in a short amount of time. Mulberry found that out the start of the third quarter as the Jackets shots started to fall.
Bartow hit three straight buckets to take a 32-19 lead with 6:27 left in the third. From there the Jackets would outscore the Panthers 14-4, taking a commanding 46-25 lead.
More impressive than scoring 20 third quarter points was the aggressiveness of the Bartow defense that only gave up six third quarter points.
The fourth quarter was a duplication of the third, with Bartow outscoring the undermanned Panthers 20-6 to win the game 66-31. The victory raised the Jackets record to 6-2 (4-1 in district play).
Bartow was a perfect 5-5 from the line and cut their turnovers down to 15 for the game, which is a vast improvement from the previous four games.
The Jackets took on Palm Beach Dwyer at yesterday at Plant High School as part of the McDonald’s Christmas Tournament, but results were unavailable at press time. Dwyer is ranked in the top five of Class 5A.
The Jackets were coming off an embarrassing loss to the Auburndale Bloodhounds on Tuesday night that saw Bartow waste many opportunities to win the game.
They eventually lost in overtime, 53-51. Bartow looked flat after an emotional and physically draining victory the night before against the Kathleen Red Devils.
The loss dropped the Jackets record to 5-2 (4-1 in district play).
As was the case in the Auburndale game, the Jackets were a heavy favorite to beat the Panthers of Mulberry. Early in the game it looked as if Bartow was still on hiatus from good quality Jacket basketball.
The game was tied at 10-10 with 2:58 left in the first quarter when Bartow went on a 6-0 run to finish the quarter with a 16-10 lead.
Even with poor shooting, the Jackets extended their second quarter lead to 23-13 with 3:23 left before halftime.
Bartow seemed poised to hit the accelerator and leave the Panthers in the dust, but Mulberry ended the half with a 6-3 run to cut the lead to seven points, 26-19.
Bartow is a talented team that can score a lot of points in a short amount of time. Mulberry found that out the start of the third quarter as the Jackets shots started to fall.
Bartow hit three straight buckets to take a 32-19 lead with 6:27 left in the third. From there the Jackets would outscore the Panthers 14-4, taking a commanding 46-25 lead.
More impressive than scoring 20 third quarter points was the aggressiveness of the Bartow defense that only gave up six third quarter points.
The fourth quarter was a duplication of the third, with Bartow outscoring the undermanned Panthers 20-6 to win the game 66-31. The victory raised the Jackets record to 6-2 (4-1 in district play).
Bartow was a perfect 5-5 from the line and cut their turnovers down to 15 for the game, which is a vast improvement from the previous four games.
The Jackets took on Palm Beach Dwyer at yesterday at Plant High School as part of the McDonald’s Christmas Tournament, but results were unavailable at press time. Dwyer is ranked in the top five of Class 5A.
White Out Game
Friday Night at BHS
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boys’ basketball team will play at The Hive Friday night, Jan. 9, as the Jackets arch-rival, the Lakes Wales Highlanders, will roll in to town.
The game will be a “white out” game, with all fans asked to wear white to the game to show support for the Bartow team.
The Jackets come in the game on a three-game losing streak. That may be a shock to Jacket fans, but the quality of opponents Bartow has faced over the Christmas break has been unbelievable.
Bartow was one of 16 teams to compete in the nationally acclaimed McDonald’s Hoop Classic in Tampa over the break.
The game will be a “white out” game, with all fans asked to wear white to the game to show support for the Bartow team.
The Jackets come in the game on a three-game losing streak. That may be a shock to Jacket fans, but the quality of opponents Bartow has faced over the Christmas break has been unbelievable.
Bartow was one of 16 teams to compete in the nationally acclaimed McDonald’s Hoop Classic in Tampa over the break.
Bartow opened the tournament defeating highly-ranked Palm Beach Dwyer 74-63. Dwyer is ranked #3 in Class 5A.
The Jackets lost their next contest against North Lawndale College Prep out of Chicago, Ill.; North Lawndale is the number one team in Chicago and reached the finals of the McDonald’s tournament.
The Jackets’ next game was a frustrating one, as the Jackets held an 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but saw it slip away as Winter Springs came back for a 60-54 win over Bartow. Winter Springs is ranked #4 in Class 6A.
Bartow’s final game of the tournament was against Thomas Jefferson High School of Brooklyn, N.Y. The Jackets dug themselves an early hole, trailing 25-12 after one quarter of play. After Bartow finally woke up, Bartow played the highly ranked New York team even, losing by the opening quarter deficit of 13 with a final score of 66-53.
Last night the Jackets traveled to Ridge Community High School to take on the Bolts. The game went past the print deadline, so look for details of the game in the Saturday edition of the Democrat.
The Jackets lost their next contest against North Lawndale College Prep out of Chicago, Ill.; North Lawndale is the number one team in Chicago and reached the finals of the McDonald’s tournament.
The Jackets’ next game was a frustrating one, as the Jackets held an 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but saw it slip away as Winter Springs came back for a 60-54 win over Bartow. Winter Springs is ranked #4 in Class 6A.
Bartow’s final game of the tournament was against Thomas Jefferson High School of Brooklyn, N.Y. The Jackets dug themselves an early hole, trailing 25-12 after one quarter of play. After Bartow finally woke up, Bartow played the highly ranked New York team even, losing by the opening quarter deficit of 13 with a final score of 66-53.
Last night the Jackets traveled to Ridge Community High School to take on the Bolts. The game went past the print deadline, so look for details of the game in the Saturday edition of the Democrat.
Jackets Pick Up Third Consecutive
Win on Way to District Contest
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow boy’s basketball team traveled to Ridge Community High School on Jan. 6 to face the Bolts in a key district matchup for the Jackets.
Bartow needed a win to keep pace with district leader, Haines City.
The Jackets jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the first quarter. However, Bartow went scoreless the last 3:43 of the opening quarter. The Bolts took advantage of the Jacket dry spell and went on an 8-0 run to lead 10-7 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter didn’t start any better than the previous one, with Ridge increasing its lead to 17-10 with 4:49 left before halftime.
Bartow needed a win to keep pace with district leader, Haines City.
The Jackets jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the first quarter. However, Bartow went scoreless the last 3:43 of the opening quarter. The Bolts took advantage of the Jacket dry spell and went on an 8-0 run to lead 10-7 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter didn’t start any better than the previous one, with Ridge increasing its lead to 17-10 with 4:49 left before halftime.
The Jackets turned their fortune around in a hurry when Jeremiah Samarrippas cut the lead to 17-12 as he sliced through the Ridge defense for a layup. After a defensive stop, the Jackets went inside to Reggie Polite for a basket and foul.
Polite missed the foul shot, but Bartow got the rebound and Samarrippas drilled a three-pointer on the kickout pass. So just like that the game was tied at 17 with 3:50 left in the first half.
The Jackets continued their run with Vince Reid scoring followed by a Weedlens Beauvil trey that increased the Jackets lead to 22-17 with 2:03 left. Ridge would finally end Bartow’s 12-0 run with 1:12 left.
Each team added a bucket apiece before halftime, making the score 24-21 in favor of Bartow at the intermission.
The third quarter saw the Jackets able to increase the lead to five points with the score 40-35 headed to the fourth and final period.
Bartow had to hang on in the fourth quarter as the Bolts cut the Jacket lead to 44-43 as a Ridge player let a three-pointer fly from about five feet inside the half court line with 5:27 left that found nothing but the bottom of the net.
At that point, Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff called timeout and set up a beautiful back screen play that allowed Jamal Lawson to score under the basket, extending the Jacket lead to 46-43 with 4:17 left in the game.
From there, the Jacket defense played very well, causing two consecutive turnovers with under a minute left to put the game out of reach with Bartow winning 59-50. The Jackets went seven of eight from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
The win improved the Jackets record to 8-5 (5-1 in district play) after dropping three of four in the McDonalds Tampa Hoops Classic against nationally ranked opponents the week before.
“We would not have won that game in December,” McGriff said. “The tough competition in the tournament in Tampa helped us. We are playing good defense and we rebounded the ball well tonight.
“Tonight’s win is the first time in three years we have won up here (Ridge High School),” McGriff concluded.
Friday night the Jackets faced arch-rival Lake Wales at The Hive. Early in the season, Bartow absolutely smacked the Highlanders, embarrassing them on their own court by 73-48.
Knowing the rivalry, Jacket and Highlander fans alike knew that a blowout was not going to be the case again as you can usually toss out the records when these two schools play each other.
From the outset, it was obvious the Highlanders had come to play, trailing the Jackets 9-7 at the end of one quarter in a game that saw Lake Wales slow down the pace of play. This seems to be a common game plan against the explosive Jacket team.
The Highlanders tied the game at 11-11 with 5:42 left in the first half, but the Jackets went for the knock-out punch with a 9-0 run to take a 20-11 with 2:16 left in the half. Lake Wales fought right back with a 7-2 run of their own as the game headed to the half 22-18 in favor of the Jackets.
In the third quarter, the game went back and forth until a key steal by Samarrippas with less than two minutes left in the quarter. Samarrippas stole the ball and took it down the floor and finger rolled it in to give the Jackets a 36-33 lead.
Bartow stole the ball on the next Highlander possession and scored on the break as well, extending the lead to 38-33 with 1:17 on the clock. With 1.4 seconds left in the quarter Beauvil drilled a three-pointer to extend the Jacket lead to 43-35 as the game headed to the fourth quarter.
In the fourth period the Jackets started to put the hammer down on the Highlanders, as the Bartow lead ballooned to 56-39 with 4:42 left in the game. However, this Jacket team has a problem with finishing off teams when they get up big.
If the Jackets are going to make the playoffs and do any damage, they need to find away to not let teams come back in games. The Highlanders were never really in any position to win the game, but Lake Wales ended the game with 10-1 run; as the Jackets held on for a 57-49 win.
The win raised Bartow’s record to 9-5 (6-1 in district play) on the season.
Monday night the Jackets traveled to the other side of Brandon to take on the Spoto Spartans. Bartow had beaten the Spartans at home 80-60 early in the year and needed the win before facing Tenoroc at home Thursday night.
The Jackets came out poised and ready to put the Spartans in their place as Bartow jumped out to a first quarter lead of 15-2. The Jackets didn’t let up in the second quarter as they grew their lead to 31-14, led by 14 first half points by Beauvil. Bartow also got seven points from Richard Murvin.
The second half started ugly for the Jackets with the undermanned Spartans hitting two straight three-pointers to cut the lead to 31-20. However, it took the Jackets no time to get the huge lead back as Bartow went on an 18-9 run to end the quarter and headed to the final quarter with a 49-29 lead.
From there the Jackets didn’t look back as they coasted to a 64-38 win, improving their record to 10-5 (7-1 in district play).
Bartow was lead by Beauvil who had 26 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Additionally, the Jackets got solid play from Reggie Polite who had 12 points and seven rebounds on the game.
Thursday night the Jackets will be at home against Tenoroc High School in another district matchup. On Saturday, the Jackets travel to Punta Gorda as they take part in the Wally Keller Classic at Charlotte High School.
On Tuesday, the Jackets head to Haines City looking to avenge their only district loss that came at the hands of the Hornets on Dec. 12 at The Hive on a last second tip-in basket, giving Haines City the 59-57 win.
Haines City is undefeated in district play, so the game is huge for both teams. The Jacket Nation needs to make the trip to Haines City to be the all important sixth man at the game.
Polite missed the foul shot, but Bartow got the rebound and Samarrippas drilled a three-pointer on the kickout pass. So just like that the game was tied at 17 with 3:50 left in the first half.
The Jackets continued their run with Vince Reid scoring followed by a Weedlens Beauvil trey that increased the Jackets lead to 22-17 with 2:03 left. Ridge would finally end Bartow’s 12-0 run with 1:12 left.
Each team added a bucket apiece before halftime, making the score 24-21 in favor of Bartow at the intermission.
The third quarter saw the Jackets able to increase the lead to five points with the score 40-35 headed to the fourth and final period.
Bartow had to hang on in the fourth quarter as the Bolts cut the Jacket lead to 44-43 as a Ridge player let a three-pointer fly from about five feet inside the half court line with 5:27 left that found nothing but the bottom of the net.
At that point, Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff called timeout and set up a beautiful back screen play that allowed Jamal Lawson to score under the basket, extending the Jacket lead to 46-43 with 4:17 left in the game.
From there, the Jacket defense played very well, causing two consecutive turnovers with under a minute left to put the game out of reach with Bartow winning 59-50. The Jackets went seven of eight from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
The win improved the Jackets record to 8-5 (5-1 in district play) after dropping three of four in the McDonalds Tampa Hoops Classic against nationally ranked opponents the week before.
“We would not have won that game in December,” McGriff said. “The tough competition in the tournament in Tampa helped us. We are playing good defense and we rebounded the ball well tonight.
“Tonight’s win is the first time in three years we have won up here (Ridge High School),” McGriff concluded.
Friday night the Jackets faced arch-rival Lake Wales at The Hive. Early in the season, Bartow absolutely smacked the Highlanders, embarrassing them on their own court by 73-48.
Knowing the rivalry, Jacket and Highlander fans alike knew that a blowout was not going to be the case again as you can usually toss out the records when these two schools play each other.
From the outset, it was obvious the Highlanders had come to play, trailing the Jackets 9-7 at the end of one quarter in a game that saw Lake Wales slow down the pace of play. This seems to be a common game plan against the explosive Jacket team.
The Highlanders tied the game at 11-11 with 5:42 left in the first half, but the Jackets went for the knock-out punch with a 9-0 run to take a 20-11 with 2:16 left in the half. Lake Wales fought right back with a 7-2 run of their own as the game headed to the half 22-18 in favor of the Jackets.
In the third quarter, the game went back and forth until a key steal by Samarrippas with less than two minutes left in the quarter. Samarrippas stole the ball and took it down the floor and finger rolled it in to give the Jackets a 36-33 lead.
Bartow stole the ball on the next Highlander possession and scored on the break as well, extending the lead to 38-33 with 1:17 on the clock. With 1.4 seconds left in the quarter Beauvil drilled a three-pointer to extend the Jacket lead to 43-35 as the game headed to the fourth quarter.
In the fourth period the Jackets started to put the hammer down on the Highlanders, as the Bartow lead ballooned to 56-39 with 4:42 left in the game. However, this Jacket team has a problem with finishing off teams when they get up big.
If the Jackets are going to make the playoffs and do any damage, they need to find away to not let teams come back in games. The Highlanders were never really in any position to win the game, but Lake Wales ended the game with 10-1 run; as the Jackets held on for a 57-49 win.
The win raised Bartow’s record to 9-5 (6-1 in district play) on the season.
Monday night the Jackets traveled to the other side of Brandon to take on the Spoto Spartans. Bartow had beaten the Spartans at home 80-60 early in the year and needed the win before facing Tenoroc at home Thursday night.
The Jackets came out poised and ready to put the Spartans in their place as Bartow jumped out to a first quarter lead of 15-2. The Jackets didn’t let up in the second quarter as they grew their lead to 31-14, led by 14 first half points by Beauvil. Bartow also got seven points from Richard Murvin.
The second half started ugly for the Jackets with the undermanned Spartans hitting two straight three-pointers to cut the lead to 31-20. However, it took the Jackets no time to get the huge lead back as Bartow went on an 18-9 run to end the quarter and headed to the final quarter with a 49-29 lead.
From there the Jackets didn’t look back as they coasted to a 64-38 win, improving their record to 10-5 (7-1 in district play).
Bartow was lead by Beauvil who had 26 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Additionally, the Jackets got solid play from Reggie Polite who had 12 points and seven rebounds on the game.
Thursday night the Jackets will be at home against Tenoroc High School in another district matchup. On Saturday, the Jackets travel to Punta Gorda as they take part in the Wally Keller Classic at Charlotte High School.
On Tuesday, the Jackets head to Haines City looking to avenge their only district loss that came at the hands of the Hornets on Dec. 12 at The Hive on a last second tip-in basket, giving Haines City the 59-57 win.
Haines City is undefeated in district play, so the game is huge for both teams. The Jacket Nation needs to make the trip to Haines City to be the all important sixth man at the game.
Jackets Crush Titans, 64-21
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boy’s basketball team extended their win streak to four games Thursday night at home against the Titans of Tenoroc.
More importantly, the victories all came against district opponents as Bartow upped its record to 11-5 and 8-1 in the district.
The game against the Titans was over quickly as the Jackets opened a 10-4 advantage after one quarter of play. The Titans scored their sixth point of the half two minutes in to the second quarter.
That was the last time they would score in the half as the Jackets’ suffocating defense held them scoreless over the final six minutes. On the offensive end, Bartow ran off 25 straight points to head to the break with a 37-6 halftime lead. The Jackets were led in the quarter by senior Jamal Lawson, who had 10 of his game-high 15 points in the second quarter.
The second half was somewhat better for the Titans as they scored 11 points in the third quarter, but the Jackets were scoring at will and Bartow’s lead ballooned to 53-17 heading to the fourth quarter.
The FHSAA has a mercy rule that if a team extends its lead over 35 points in the game, then a running clock shall be started. That was the case in the fourth quarter, as Bartow won the game 64-21.
The game was a great tune-up for the Jackets as they face the Charlotte Tarpons today at the Wally Keller Classic in Punta Gorda. The game will be broadcast on 1130 WWBF for those who can’t make the trip.
Next week will be a huge week for the Jackets as they travel to district-leading Haines City on Tuesday night and Kathleen High School on Friday night.
The Jackets’ only district loss came at the hands of Haines City on a last second shot earlier in the year. The Jackets look to even up the district race with a win over the Hornets.
Then Bartow travels to an improving Kathleen team that is looking for revenge of their own as the Jackets defeated them earlier this year, snapping a losing streak to the Red Devils that spanned over a decade.
Head Coach Terrence McGriff was asked if he is happy where his team is at this point in the season; this is what he had to say, “We have played better the second time we have faced teams. We are playing good defense and we are making our layups now off of good passes.
“Tonight J-Frog (Jeremiah Samarrippas) had seven assists because of great passes and players making the shots.”
The Jackets also got solid play from Tevin Grant with 11 points and Richard Murvin with 10 points.
With next week’s games determining the seeding for the district tournament, the entire Jacket Nation needs to make the trip to Haines City as well as Kathleen to support the Jackets!
More importantly, the victories all came against district opponents as Bartow upped its record to 11-5 and 8-1 in the district.
The game against the Titans was over quickly as the Jackets opened a 10-4 advantage after one quarter of play. The Titans scored their sixth point of the half two minutes in to the second quarter.
That was the last time they would score in the half as the Jackets’ suffocating defense held them scoreless over the final six minutes. On the offensive end, Bartow ran off 25 straight points to head to the break with a 37-6 halftime lead. The Jackets were led in the quarter by senior Jamal Lawson, who had 10 of his game-high 15 points in the second quarter.
The second half was somewhat better for the Titans as they scored 11 points in the third quarter, but the Jackets were scoring at will and Bartow’s lead ballooned to 53-17 heading to the fourth quarter.
The FHSAA has a mercy rule that if a team extends its lead over 35 points in the game, then a running clock shall be started. That was the case in the fourth quarter, as Bartow won the game 64-21.
The game was a great tune-up for the Jackets as they face the Charlotte Tarpons today at the Wally Keller Classic in Punta Gorda. The game will be broadcast on 1130 WWBF for those who can’t make the trip.
Next week will be a huge week for the Jackets as they travel to district-leading Haines City on Tuesday night and Kathleen High School on Friday night.
The Jackets’ only district loss came at the hands of Haines City on a last second shot earlier in the year. The Jackets look to even up the district race with a win over the Hornets.
Then Bartow travels to an improving Kathleen team that is looking for revenge of their own as the Jackets defeated them earlier this year, snapping a losing streak to the Red Devils that spanned over a decade.
Head Coach Terrence McGriff was asked if he is happy where his team is at this point in the season; this is what he had to say, “We have played better the second time we have faced teams. We are playing good defense and we are making our layups now off of good passes.
“Tonight J-Frog (Jeremiah Samarrippas) had seven assists because of great passes and players making the shots.”
The Jackets also got solid play from Tevin Grant with 11 points and Richard Murvin with 10 points.
With next week’s games determining the seeding for the district tournament, the entire Jacket Nation needs to make the trip to Haines City as well as Kathleen to support the Jackets!
Lawson Lifts Jackets to Sixth
Straight Win and District Lead
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boy’s basketball team drilled Charlotte High School last Saturday.
It was the second consecutive “running clock” game for the Jackets as they increased their lead to 40 points at the end of the third quarter, 57-17.
When a lead increases more than 35 points, the mercy rule is activated and the clock runs the rest of the game, unless the trailing team cuts the lead to less than 20 points. On this day, that did not happen as Bartow won the game 63-30, upping their record to 12-5 on the year.
Richard Murvin led the Jackets with 19 points with Weedlens Beauvil chipping in with 10 points.
The game was a tune-up for Bartow, as they faced Haines City on Tuesday night in a rematch of a thrilling game the Jackets lost at home in early December. Bartow lost the contest at the buzzer; turnovers and poor free-throw shooting cost the Jackets the game.
The Hornets entered the game as the number three team in the state with the Jackets ranked number 10. The loss to the Hornets is still the only district loss this year for the Jackets.
Haines City came in with one district loss at the hands of the Kathleen Red Devils. So, the winner of the game would be in the driver’s seat for the number one seed in the upcoming district tournament.
In the opening quarter, it was obvious that Haines City wanted to slow the pace down and make sure they got good shots.
The Hornets’ game plan slowed the pace of play with the score 10-5 in favor of the Jackets after one quarter. Jamal Lawson led Bartow in the opening quarter by scoring the Jackets first five points and hitting the boards hard.
The second quarter saw the Jackets surrender the lead with 6:55 left in the half, 11-10. Once again, it was Lawson to the rescue as he added six more points in the quarter, giving him 11 for the half.
Bartow also got solid play from Tevin Grant, who was a nice compliment to Lawson, as Grant had six first half points and the Jackets headed to the locker room with a 20-16 lead.
The third quarter saw the game go back and forth with four different lead changes. Bartow was up 24-21, before the Hornets went on a 6-0 run and seemed to have momentum and the home crowd on their side.
That was before Jeremiah Samarrippas nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 27-27, ending the Hornets run and sucking the wind out of their sails. The Jackets regained the lead and took it to the fourth quarter, 31-29.
Even though the temperature was cold outside, the play of the Jackets and Hornets heated up in the fourth quarter. Haines City fought back again, retaking the lead 35-33 with 6:04 left in the game.
From there, Bartow went on a 14-2 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a commanding 47-37 lead with 2:21 left in the game.
Lawson added seven more of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter with the Jackets winning the game 51-44, Bartow’s sixth straight win. Bartow is now 13-5 (9-1 in district play).
The Jackets played the Kathleen Red Devils last night in another must win for the Jackets. If Bartow were to win the game, they would assure themselves of no worse than a tie for the district regular season title.
The game went past the print deadline, so look for details in Wednesday’s Polk County Democrat.
Bartow will play Ridge Community High School to close out district play on Jan. 30 at home. Before that game the Jackets will take on George Jenkins on Jan. 26 at home in a non-district match-up.
It was the second consecutive “running clock” game for the Jackets as they increased their lead to 40 points at the end of the third quarter, 57-17.
When a lead increases more than 35 points, the mercy rule is activated and the clock runs the rest of the game, unless the trailing team cuts the lead to less than 20 points. On this day, that did not happen as Bartow won the game 63-30, upping their record to 12-5 on the year.
Richard Murvin led the Jackets with 19 points with Weedlens Beauvil chipping in with 10 points.
The game was a tune-up for Bartow, as they faced Haines City on Tuesday night in a rematch of a thrilling game the Jackets lost at home in early December. Bartow lost the contest at the buzzer; turnovers and poor free-throw shooting cost the Jackets the game.
The Hornets entered the game as the number three team in the state with the Jackets ranked number 10. The loss to the Hornets is still the only district loss this year for the Jackets.
Haines City came in with one district loss at the hands of the Kathleen Red Devils. So, the winner of the game would be in the driver’s seat for the number one seed in the upcoming district tournament.
In the opening quarter, it was obvious that Haines City wanted to slow the pace down and make sure they got good shots.
The Hornets’ game plan slowed the pace of play with the score 10-5 in favor of the Jackets after one quarter. Jamal Lawson led Bartow in the opening quarter by scoring the Jackets first five points and hitting the boards hard.
The second quarter saw the Jackets surrender the lead with 6:55 left in the half, 11-10. Once again, it was Lawson to the rescue as he added six more points in the quarter, giving him 11 for the half.
Bartow also got solid play from Tevin Grant, who was a nice compliment to Lawson, as Grant had six first half points and the Jackets headed to the locker room with a 20-16 lead.
The third quarter saw the game go back and forth with four different lead changes. Bartow was up 24-21, before the Hornets went on a 6-0 run and seemed to have momentum and the home crowd on their side.
That was before Jeremiah Samarrippas nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 27-27, ending the Hornets run and sucking the wind out of their sails. The Jackets regained the lead and took it to the fourth quarter, 31-29.
Even though the temperature was cold outside, the play of the Jackets and Hornets heated up in the fourth quarter. Haines City fought back again, retaking the lead 35-33 with 6:04 left in the game.
From there, Bartow went on a 14-2 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a commanding 47-37 lead with 2:21 left in the game.
Lawson added seven more of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter with the Jackets winning the game 51-44, Bartow’s sixth straight win. Bartow is now 13-5 (9-1 in district play).
The Jackets played the Kathleen Red Devils last night in another must win for the Jackets. If Bartow were to win the game, they would assure themselves of no worse than a tie for the district regular season title.
The game went past the print deadline, so look for details in Wednesday’s Polk County Democrat.
Bartow will play Ridge Community High School to close out district play on Jan. 30 at home. Before that game the Jackets will take on George Jenkins on Jan. 26 at home in a non-district match-up.
Jackets Keep Number One Seed With
Victory Over Kathleen, George Jenkins
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boy’s basketball team has really started to heat up after the Christmas break.
The Jackets headed to Kathleen High School Friday night on a six game win streak. After beating Haines City the previous week to take sole possession of first place in the district, Bartow needed to beat the arch-rival Kathleen Red Devils to keep their coveted number one seed in the upcoming district tournament.
The Jackets beat Kathleen in Bartow early this year; the victory was the first for the Jackets in over a decade against the perennial state power. So everyone expected to see a great game and boy, did they get a dandy of a battle.
It seemed as if Bartow was going to go for the knockout punch in the first round as the Jackets came out swinging with an 8-0 run to start the game.
However, turnovers cost Bartow the chance to put the Red Devils away early. The pace of play slowed a bit and the game went to half with the Jackets actually trailing Kathleen 22-20.
I’m not sure what the conversation was in the locker room at halftime but the Jacket players got the message loud and clear, as they came out with an attitude and a 19-3 run.
The third quarter started with Jeremiah Samarrippas hitting a three-pointer followed by three straight three-pointers by sharp-shooting junior, Weedlens Beauvil.
The Jacket lead swelled to 14 with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter, but the Red Devils were not done yet as they cut the lead to 45-36 as the game headed to the fourth quarter.
With the Bartow lead cut to 47-44 with 5:25 left in the game, Samarrippas sparked the Jackets again as he stepped in front of a driving Kathleen player and took what ended up being a huge charge, as it stopped the Red Devils from possibly tying the game.
The amazing part of the stellar defensive play is the fact that Samarrippas was defending a 2-1 Red Devil fast break. Even though the Jackets didn’t score on their next possession, it set the tone for the Jackets defensively for the rest of the game.
With just over four minutes remaining in the game, Kathleen retook the lead 50-49. The Jackets took the lead right back 51-50 with 3:40 left on two clutch free throws from Samarrippas.
Bartow’s defense rose up again after retaking the lead as Jamal Lawson took another Jacket charge giving the ball back to Bartow. Once again the Jackets couldn’t convert on the offensive end, so Kathleen brought the ball down the court with an opportunity to take the lead back.
Yet again, it was the Jacket defense that came through, with Beauvil stepping up this time to get in place and draw a charge call on the Red Devils.
After the foul, the Jacket offense converted and extended their lead to 53-51 on a Richard Murvin jumper with 1:15 left in the game.
The lead was cut to two points as Kathleen made one of two free throws, making the score 53-52 with 45.1 seconds left on the clock. The Jackets were able to hit Lawson underneath the basket for two points with 45.1 left, giving Bartow a three point advantage, 55-52.
After taking a timeout, Kathleen put up a shot that would be rebounded by Tevin Grant of the Jackets.
However, the outlet pass would get away from Bartow, giving the Red Devils new life. Kathleen attempted to tie the game, but the Red Devil shot was off and Grant once again skied to grab the rebound.
The Red Devils were called for an intentional foul with 8.2 seconds left in the game. Samarrippas would go to the line and hit one of two free throws, all but icing the game for Bartow.
The Jacket would play keep away and end the game with a thunderous dunk from Vince Reid, giving Bartow the 58-52 win.
On Monday night, the Jackets hosted the George Jenkins Eagles at The Hive.
The game started out well for the Eagles as they were able to stay close with the score 15-10 after one quarter of play.
In the second quarter, it got ugly fast for George Jenkins as the Jackets went on a 16-0 run to start the quarter and take a 31-10 lead. The offensive explosion was led by Richard Murvin who had 13 second quarter points and 18 for the half as the Jackets headed to halftime with a 46-21 advantage.
After halftime, the game didn’t get much better for George Jenkins as Bartow rolled 77-50.
The Jackets were led by Murvin, who finished the game with 22 points. Other Jackets leading Bartow were Samarrippas with 15 assists to only one turnover, Beauvil with 17 points, Lawson with 16 points and seven rebounds, and Reid with 13 points and five rebounds.
When asked what got Murvin going tonight, he said, “I don’t know, I just didn’t want to lose coming off the big win at Kathleen.”
Murvin was then asked if he was happy where the Jackets are, riding an eight-game win streak. “No, we still have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be,” he said.
Murvin also said he is looking forward to playing state powers, Miami Pace and Olympia in the Stinger Classic on Feb. 6 and 7 at Bartow High School.
“It will give us a chance to see where we are at,” Murvin concluded.
The Jacket record now stands at 15-5 (10-1 in district play) on the season with their last district contest on Friday night at home against Ridge Community High School.
Friday night will also be Senior Night at The Hive as they say good bye to three seniors that have never had a losing record any of their four seasons in the Bartow uniform — Jamal Lawson, Shawn Montgomery, and Jeffrey Thomas.
They have been part of a steady rise back to glory for the Jacket program. These seniors posted a 15-15 record in the 2005-2006 season, 17-9 record in the 2006-2007 season and a 19-10 record last season.
So come on out and show your support for the Jackets.
The Jackets headed to Kathleen High School Friday night on a six game win streak. After beating Haines City the previous week to take sole possession of first place in the district, Bartow needed to beat the arch-rival Kathleen Red Devils to keep their coveted number one seed in the upcoming district tournament.
The Jackets beat Kathleen in Bartow early this year; the victory was the first for the Jackets in over a decade against the perennial state power. So everyone expected to see a great game and boy, did they get a dandy of a battle.
It seemed as if Bartow was going to go for the knockout punch in the first round as the Jackets came out swinging with an 8-0 run to start the game.
However, turnovers cost Bartow the chance to put the Red Devils away early. The pace of play slowed a bit and the game went to half with the Jackets actually trailing Kathleen 22-20.
I’m not sure what the conversation was in the locker room at halftime but the Jacket players got the message loud and clear, as they came out with an attitude and a 19-3 run.
The third quarter started with Jeremiah Samarrippas hitting a three-pointer followed by three straight three-pointers by sharp-shooting junior, Weedlens Beauvil.
The Jacket lead swelled to 14 with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter, but the Red Devils were not done yet as they cut the lead to 45-36 as the game headed to the fourth quarter.
With the Bartow lead cut to 47-44 with 5:25 left in the game, Samarrippas sparked the Jackets again as he stepped in front of a driving Kathleen player and took what ended up being a huge charge, as it stopped the Red Devils from possibly tying the game.
The amazing part of the stellar defensive play is the fact that Samarrippas was defending a 2-1 Red Devil fast break. Even though the Jackets didn’t score on their next possession, it set the tone for the Jackets defensively for the rest of the game.
With just over four minutes remaining in the game, Kathleen retook the lead 50-49. The Jackets took the lead right back 51-50 with 3:40 left on two clutch free throws from Samarrippas.
Bartow’s defense rose up again after retaking the lead as Jamal Lawson took another Jacket charge giving the ball back to Bartow. Once again the Jackets couldn’t convert on the offensive end, so Kathleen brought the ball down the court with an opportunity to take the lead back.
Yet again, it was the Jacket defense that came through, with Beauvil stepping up this time to get in place and draw a charge call on the Red Devils.
After the foul, the Jacket offense converted and extended their lead to 53-51 on a Richard Murvin jumper with 1:15 left in the game.
The lead was cut to two points as Kathleen made one of two free throws, making the score 53-52 with 45.1 seconds left on the clock. The Jackets were able to hit Lawson underneath the basket for two points with 45.1 left, giving Bartow a three point advantage, 55-52.
After taking a timeout, Kathleen put up a shot that would be rebounded by Tevin Grant of the Jackets.
However, the outlet pass would get away from Bartow, giving the Red Devils new life. Kathleen attempted to tie the game, but the Red Devil shot was off and Grant once again skied to grab the rebound.
The Red Devils were called for an intentional foul with 8.2 seconds left in the game. Samarrippas would go to the line and hit one of two free throws, all but icing the game for Bartow.
The Jacket would play keep away and end the game with a thunderous dunk from Vince Reid, giving Bartow the 58-52 win.
On Monday night, the Jackets hosted the George Jenkins Eagles at The Hive.
The game started out well for the Eagles as they were able to stay close with the score 15-10 after one quarter of play.
In the second quarter, it got ugly fast for George Jenkins as the Jackets went on a 16-0 run to start the quarter and take a 31-10 lead. The offensive explosion was led by Richard Murvin who had 13 second quarter points and 18 for the half as the Jackets headed to halftime with a 46-21 advantage.
After halftime, the game didn’t get much better for George Jenkins as Bartow rolled 77-50.
The Jackets were led by Murvin, who finished the game with 22 points. Other Jackets leading Bartow were Samarrippas with 15 assists to only one turnover, Beauvil with 17 points, Lawson with 16 points and seven rebounds, and Reid with 13 points and five rebounds.
When asked what got Murvin going tonight, he said, “I don’t know, I just didn’t want to lose coming off the big win at Kathleen.”
Murvin was then asked if he was happy where the Jackets are, riding an eight-game win streak. “No, we still have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be,” he said.
Murvin also said he is looking forward to playing state powers, Miami Pace and Olympia in the Stinger Classic on Feb. 6 and 7 at Bartow High School.
“It will give us a chance to see where we are at,” Murvin concluded.
The Jacket record now stands at 15-5 (10-1 in district play) on the season with their last district contest on Friday night at home against Ridge Community High School.
Friday night will also be Senior Night at The Hive as they say good bye to three seniors that have never had a losing record any of their four seasons in the Bartow uniform — Jamal Lawson, Shawn Montgomery, and Jeffrey Thomas.
They have been part of a steady rise back to glory for the Jacket program. These seniors posted a 15-15 record in the 2005-2006 season, 17-9 record in the 2006-2007 season and a 19-10 record last season.
So come on out and show your support for the Jackets.
Jackets Secure #1 Seed In District Tournament
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
The Bartow High School boy’s basketball team had a simple mission Friday night — win one game and secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming district tournament.
During Senior Night at The Hive, the Jackets used an impressive defense to suffocate the Ridge Community High School Bolts.
Bartow got off to a solid start with senior Jeff Thomas drilling a three-pointer to open the game.
With 3:52 left in the opening quarter, Weddlens Beauvil nailed another three for the Jackets, increasing their lead to 9-4. Bartow outscored the Bolts 12-3 the rest of the quarter to take a 21-7 lead in to the second quarter.
In the second quarter the Jacket defense made the Bolts look awful as Ridge did not score the entire quarter. The game went to the half with Bartow leading 35-7; an absolute pounding if there ever was one.
In the third quarter, the Jackets played sloppy with the big lead; however, Bartow still managed to increase their lead by three points to 46-15.
In the fourth quarter, the Jackets played somewhat better after a couple of spirited conversations from Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff. Bartow was sparked early in the quarter with two Tevin Grant dunks less than a minute apart that got the hometown crowd going.
Mercifully for the visitors, the game came to an end with Bartow winning 62-29 with seniors, Jamal Lawson, Shawn Montgomery and Jeff Thomas winning their last regular season game at home.
These seniors and the rest of the Jacket roster will get two more chances to play at The Hive as they will play this weekend in the Stinger Shootout. Bartow will face off with the No. 1 team in Class 4A as they take on Miami Pace Friday night at 8 after PK Yonge of Gainesville and Lake Wales square off at 6:30.
The Jackets will then play Olympia High School, the No. 2 team in Class 6A, on Saturday night at 7:30.
Other Saturday games are:
• Trinity Catholic (Ocala) vs. Winter Haven, 11:30 a.m.
• LaSalle (Miami) vs. George Jenkins, 1 p.m.
• Wekiva (Apopka) vs. Lake Wales, 2:30 p.m.
• PK Yonge vs. Kathleen, 4 p.m.
• Fort Myers Dunbar vs. Haines City, 6 p.m.
• Miami Pace vs. Lakeland, 9 p.m.
For more information on the Stinger Shootout, visit www.bartowbasketball.com or call Bartow High School at 534-7400.
During Senior Night at The Hive, the Jackets used an impressive defense to suffocate the Ridge Community High School Bolts.
Bartow got off to a solid start with senior Jeff Thomas drilling a three-pointer to open the game.
With 3:52 left in the opening quarter, Weddlens Beauvil nailed another three for the Jackets, increasing their lead to 9-4. Bartow outscored the Bolts 12-3 the rest of the quarter to take a 21-7 lead in to the second quarter.
In the second quarter the Jacket defense made the Bolts look awful as Ridge did not score the entire quarter. The game went to the half with Bartow leading 35-7; an absolute pounding if there ever was one.
In the third quarter, the Jackets played sloppy with the big lead; however, Bartow still managed to increase their lead by three points to 46-15.
In the fourth quarter, the Jackets played somewhat better after a couple of spirited conversations from Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff. Bartow was sparked early in the quarter with two Tevin Grant dunks less than a minute apart that got the hometown crowd going.
Mercifully for the visitors, the game came to an end with Bartow winning 62-29 with seniors, Jamal Lawson, Shawn Montgomery and Jeff Thomas winning their last regular season game at home.
These seniors and the rest of the Jacket roster will get two more chances to play at The Hive as they will play this weekend in the Stinger Shootout. Bartow will face off with the No. 1 team in Class 4A as they take on Miami Pace Friday night at 8 after PK Yonge of Gainesville and Lake Wales square off at 6:30.
The Jackets will then play Olympia High School, the No. 2 team in Class 6A, on Saturday night at 7:30.
Other Saturday games are:
• Trinity Catholic (Ocala) vs. Winter Haven, 11:30 a.m.
• LaSalle (Miami) vs. George Jenkins, 1 p.m.
• Wekiva (Apopka) vs. Lake Wales, 2:30 p.m.
• PK Yonge vs. Kathleen, 4 p.m.
• Fort Myers Dunbar vs. Haines City, 6 p.m.
• Miami Pace vs. Lakeland, 9 p.m.
For more information on the Stinger Shootout, visit www.bartowbasketball.com or call Bartow High School at 534-7400.
Jackets Defeat Number
One Team in Class 4A
 |
| Reggie Polite attempts a free throw during the Jackets 68-64 win over Miami Pace in the 2009 Stinger Shootout. Polite led the Jackets with 22 points and was named the MVP of the game. — (Photo by Neal Duncan) |
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boy’s basketball team took on the Panthers of Mulberry High School on Feb. 3 at Mulberry.
The Jackets once again imposed their will on the Panthers as they had earlier in the season and came away with a 67-33 win, giving the Jackets their 10th straight win.
The victory raised Bartow’s record to 17-5 on the season, as the Jackets used the game as a tune-up for the upcoming Stinger Shootout. The event would be a good test for the Jackets as they would face the number one team in Class 4A (the Jackets’ classification), the Miami Pace Spartans, and the Olympia Titans, the number two team in Class 6A (ranked number 20 in the nation).
The Stinger Shootout was held at Bartow High School last Friday and Saturday, with 14 teams competing in the shootout. There were two games on Friday night and seven games on Saturday.
The Jackets took on Pace in the second game Friday night with the two-time defending state champion coming in with a roster full of talent. The Spartans’ center, Rakeem Buckles, had already committed to the University of Louisville.
In the first quarter the Jackets got off to a sensational start, led by Junior Richard Murvin. Murvin scored Bartow’s first six points and contributed nine for the quarter.
The Jacket Nation was going crazy as Bartow opened a 21-9 first quarter lead as Bartow ended the quarter with a 10-3 run.
The Jackets took some questionable shots down the stretch of the second quarter as Bartow missed five straight three-point shots. The Bartow crowd saw the lead reduced to an eight-point advantage with the score 32-24.
The third quarter was much of the same as the Jackets had an answer for anything Pace tried, with Bartow leading 41-29 with 4:41 left in the quarter. However, Pace got back in the game by ending the quarter with an 18-8 run to close the gap to 49-47 as the game headed to the fourth and final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, it was the Reggie Polite show for the Jackets as they constantly pound ed the ball inside to Polite. At one point Polite made six straight free throws, which were obviously crucial in such a tight game.
Pace tied the game at 55-55 and again at 63-63 with one minute left in the game.
With the game tied at 63-63, Polite once again scored inside and made the free throw as he was fouled on the play. So, with the traditional three-point play, the Jackets now led 66-63 with 48.8 seconds left.
Pace quickly raced up the court to fire off three straight three-pointers, attempting to tie the game. However, none of the shots went go in and Polite grabbed the rebound and fired an outlet pass to Jeremiah Samarrippas, who hit Vince Reid.
Reid was set up for a thunderous dunk to put an exclamation point on the game. However, Reid took one too many steps and got called for traveling, giving Pace new life.
The Jackets made the Spartans try to earn the win as the Jackets would foul, forcing Pace to the line. The Spartans would need to make both free throws and get the ball back.
Pace missed the first and tried to miss the second, but the second free throw actually went in. So, Pace was forced to foul with the Jackets leading 66-64 with 3.2 seconds left in the game.
Weedlens Beauvil went to the line, and with ice in his veins,made both shots, giving the Jackets the 68-64 win over the number-one team in the state.
This game definitely had a playoff atmosphere with The Hive packed full of fans. If each team gets some break, you could see a rematch of this game in the Lakeland Center during the final four of Class 4A.
Saturday night saw the Jackets hang tough with Olympia for three and a half quarters, but the Jackets ran out of steam and lost to the Olympia squad, which has six Division I signees, 72-55.
The loss dropped the Jackets record to 18-6 on the season as Bartow plays this Friday night at Haines City in the district semi-finals against Lake Wales. The Jackets got a bye in the first round as the district’s number one seed.
Lake Wales won Monday night against Ridge High School 60-54 to get the chance to take on the Jackets for the third time this season.
The Jackets have won both games, but they will need the Jacket Nation there in full force as the Highlanders look to play spoiler.
The Jackets once again imposed their will on the Panthers as they had earlier in the season and came away with a 67-33 win, giving the Jackets their 10th straight win.
The victory raised Bartow’s record to 17-5 on the season, as the Jackets used the game as a tune-up for the upcoming Stinger Shootout. The event would be a good test for the Jackets as they would face the number one team in Class 4A (the Jackets’ classification), the Miami Pace Spartans, and the Olympia Titans, the number two team in Class 6A (ranked number 20 in the nation).
The Stinger Shootout was held at Bartow High School last Friday and Saturday, with 14 teams competing in the shootout. There were two games on Friday night and seven games on Saturday.
The Jackets took on Pace in the second game Friday night with the two-time defending state champion coming in with a roster full of talent. The Spartans’ center, Rakeem Buckles, had already committed to the University of Louisville.
In the first quarter the Jackets got off to a sensational start, led by Junior Richard Murvin. Murvin scored Bartow’s first six points and contributed nine for the quarter.
The Jacket Nation was going crazy as Bartow opened a 21-9 first quarter lead as Bartow ended the quarter with a 10-3 run.
The Jackets took some questionable shots down the stretch of the second quarter as Bartow missed five straight three-point shots. The Bartow crowd saw the lead reduced to an eight-point advantage with the score 32-24.
The third quarter was much of the same as the Jackets had an answer for anything Pace tried, with Bartow leading 41-29 with 4:41 left in the quarter. However, Pace got back in the game by ending the quarter with an 18-8 run to close the gap to 49-47 as the game headed to the fourth and final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, it was the Reggie Polite show for the Jackets as they constantly pound ed the ball inside to Polite. At one point Polite made six straight free throws, which were obviously crucial in such a tight game.
Pace tied the game at 55-55 and again at 63-63 with one minute left in the game.
With the game tied at 63-63, Polite once again scored inside and made the free throw as he was fouled on the play. So, with the traditional three-point play, the Jackets now led 66-63 with 48.8 seconds left.
Pace quickly raced up the court to fire off three straight three-pointers, attempting to tie the game. However, none of the shots went go in and Polite grabbed the rebound and fired an outlet pass to Jeremiah Samarrippas, who hit Vince Reid.
Reid was set up for a thunderous dunk to put an exclamation point on the game. However, Reid took one too many steps and got called for traveling, giving Pace new life.
The Jackets made the Spartans try to earn the win as the Jackets would foul, forcing Pace to the line. The Spartans would need to make both free throws and get the ball back.
Pace missed the first and tried to miss the second, but the second free throw actually went in. So, Pace was forced to foul with the Jackets leading 66-64 with 3.2 seconds left in the game.
Weedlens Beauvil went to the line, and with ice in his veins,made both shots, giving the Jackets the 68-64 win over the number-one team in the state.
This game definitely had a playoff atmosphere with The Hive packed full of fans. If each team gets some break, you could see a rematch of this game in the Lakeland Center during the final four of Class 4A.
Saturday night saw the Jackets hang tough with Olympia for three and a half quarters, but the Jackets ran out of steam and lost to the Olympia squad, which has six Division I signees, 72-55.
The loss dropped the Jackets record to 18-6 on the season as Bartow plays this Friday night at Haines City in the district semi-finals against Lake Wales. The Jackets got a bye in the first round as the district’s number one seed.
Lake Wales won Monday night against Ridge High School 60-54 to get the chance to take on the Jackets for the third time this season.
The Jackets have won both games, but they will need the Jacket Nation there in full force as the Highlanders look to play spoiler.
Jackets Win First District
Basketball Title Since 1995
| Bartow boy’s basketball team shows its excitement after knocking off Kathleen 63-58 to take the district championship. — (Photo by Neal Duncan) |
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boy’s basketball has been the favorite to win the district title since the season began.
The Jackets have handled the pressure well as they secured the No. 1 seed in the very competitive Class 4A -District 9 tournament by going 11-1 in regular season district play.
The Jackets were rewarded for their terrific regular season district play with a first round bye, with Bartow playing the winner of the Ridge Community and Lake Wales game that took place last Monday night. The Highlanders won the game, setting up a battle Friday night against the long time rivals.
It is always hard to beat a team three times, especially when it is your arch-rival. The Jackets defeated the Highlanders on their home court 73-48 on Dec. 5, and 57-49 on Jan. 9 at Bartow.
The Jackets have played one of the more difficult schedules in Class 4A and still entered the game with an 18-6 record. Lake Wales entered the contest with a 12-14, but don’t be fooled — it could have easily been a trap game for the Jackets.
Bartow opened the game with a 10-1 run led by Richard Murvin’s aggressive defense and the shooting of Weedlens Beauvil, who scored six straight points for the Jackets.
The Highlanders were on the ropes early, but to their credit, they came storming back with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the Bartow lead to 10-8 with 3:37 left in the opening quarter.
Once again, as he has so many times this year, Beauvil steadied the ship with a three-pointer, stopping the Highlander run and reestablishing a five-point Jacket lead. From there the Jackets tacked on one more point to their lead, ending the first quarter with a 19-13 lead.
The second quarter saw the Jacket lead balloon to 12 points with 5:45 left before halftime. Once again the Highlanders did not go away, cutting the lead to 10 points as the game headed to the half with Bartow winning 37-27.
Bartow started the third quarter with sloppy play, as turnovers allowed the Highlanders to cut the lead to 37-33 with 6:16 left in the quarter.
Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff took a time-out and had a spirited conversation with his players. The Jackets responded and went on a 19-10 run to end the quarter and headed to the fourth with a 56-43 lead over the Highlanders.
In the fourth quarter the Jackets deep bench was too much for Lake Wales as they ran out of gas and could get no closer than seven points as Bartow rolled to an 80-64 win. The win raised the Jackets record to 19-6 for the year.
“It was a great atmosphere; it was Lake Wales and Bartow,” McGriff said.
“Give Coach Washington and his kids credit; they came to play. But we came to play as well.”
The Jackets next had to play the winner of the second game of the night with Haines City and Kathleen squaring off. Each team had won on their home court with large margins of victory during the regular season.
The game was full of drama as players were ejected for a bench-clearing scuffle that took place late in the fourth quarter. Kathleen was able to come back and win the game with a number of their players being suspended for the championship game for coming off the bench.
On Saturday night, it looked like the Jackets were going to put a beat down on the Red Devils as Bartow jumped out to an early 12-2 lead.
The Red Devils fought their way back in the game as the contest went to the half all square at 25-25.
As most of the Jacket Nation will remember, it has been Kathleen who has won four straight district titles and been in the state championship game the last two years. Everyone in the gym knew that the Red Devils would not go quietly into the night.
Bartow opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run to give them a 35-27 lead with 3:53 left in the quarter.
At that point, Kathleen called a time-out to regroup. After the time-out, the Red Devils made a run of their own, cutting the lead to 37-34 with 2:23 left in the third.
Clutch shooting for the Jackets shined through as Murvin drilled a three-pointer, extending the lead to six points. That was followed by a Vince Reid jumper with 1:54 left in the quarter, giving Bartow a 42-34 lead.
On the next possession, Kathleen scored inside but did not get a foul called that Kathleen Head Coach Drew Taylor thought should have been called. Taylor showed his rage on the sidelines and was promptly called for a technical foul with 13.7 seconds left before the final quarter of play.
Murvin made both technical foul shots to extend the Jacket lead to 44-38 as the game headed to the fourth quarter.
The Red Devils made one more run at the Jackets in the fourth quarter as Kathleen outscored Bartow 11-4 to take a 49-48 lead with 4:10 left in the game.
After the team surrendered the lead, the Jackets’ Jeremiah Samarrippas took things into his own hands as the Bartow point guard pulled up from three, with the ball finding nothing but net.
With less than four minutes left in the game, the Jackets retook the lead, 51-49.
The Red Devils hit two free throws on their next offensive possession to tie the game at 51-51.
Reggie Polite hit one of two free throws for the Jackets on the other end, giving the Jackets the lead back, 52-51 with 3:11 left in the title game.
Samarrippas forced a Kathleen turnover on their next possession and take it to the hole for two more, extending the Bartow lead to 54-51 with 2:56 left.
With just over two minutes left in the game, the Red Devils would drain a three to even the game again, with the score standing at 54-54.
With the game tied, the Jackets dropped the ball inside to Polite. Polite went up strong and made the basket as he was fouled on the play. Polite couldn’t get the free throw to fall, so the Bartow advantage stood at 56-54.
Bartow fouled Kathleen on their next possession with 1:38 left, sending the Red Devils to the line. Kathleen missed the first foul shot and the Jackets got the rebound.
Bartow tried to run the clock out, but with 1:04 left in the game, the Jackets tossed the ball out of bounds as they were milking the clock.
Bartow would make an ill-advised foul with 56.8 left. Kathleen made both foul shots to even the game at 56-56.
The Jackets seemingly held the ball for one shot, but with 42.6 left, Samarrippas got a long rebound on a missed Jacket shot; he quickly set and let it fly from three-point land. Boom, it hit the bottom of the net and the Jacket Nation went crazy as Bartow retook the lead, 59-56.
After snagging a steal, the Jackets got the ball back and Murvin was fouled with 19.4 left in the game. Murvin calmly stepped to the line and hit both free throws to ice the game.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Jackets had won 63-58, giving Bartow their first district championship since 1995 and their 20th win of the season.
The Jackets will play at home Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Palmetto High School in the regional quarterfinals.
Tickets for the game are available at the Bartow High School main office by calling 534-7400.
The Jackets have handled the pressure well as they secured the No. 1 seed in the very competitive Class 4A -District 9 tournament by going 11-1 in regular season district play.
The Jackets were rewarded for their terrific regular season district play with a first round bye, with Bartow playing the winner of the Ridge Community and Lake Wales game that took place last Monday night. The Highlanders won the game, setting up a battle Friday night against the long time rivals.
It is always hard to beat a team three times, especially when it is your arch-rival. The Jackets defeated the Highlanders on their home court 73-48 on Dec. 5, and 57-49 on Jan. 9 at Bartow.
The Jackets have played one of the more difficult schedules in Class 4A and still entered the game with an 18-6 record. Lake Wales entered the contest with a 12-14, but don’t be fooled — it could have easily been a trap game for the Jackets.
Bartow opened the game with a 10-1 run led by Richard Murvin’s aggressive defense and the shooting of Weedlens Beauvil, who scored six straight points for the Jackets.
The Highlanders were on the ropes early, but to their credit, they came storming back with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the Bartow lead to 10-8 with 3:37 left in the opening quarter.
Once again, as he has so many times this year, Beauvil steadied the ship with a three-pointer, stopping the Highlander run and reestablishing a five-point Jacket lead. From there the Jackets tacked on one more point to their lead, ending the first quarter with a 19-13 lead.
The second quarter saw the Jacket lead balloon to 12 points with 5:45 left before halftime. Once again the Highlanders did not go away, cutting the lead to 10 points as the game headed to the half with Bartow winning 37-27.
Bartow started the third quarter with sloppy play, as turnovers allowed the Highlanders to cut the lead to 37-33 with 6:16 left in the quarter.
Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff took a time-out and had a spirited conversation with his players. The Jackets responded and went on a 19-10 run to end the quarter and headed to the fourth with a 56-43 lead over the Highlanders.
In the fourth quarter the Jackets deep bench was too much for Lake Wales as they ran out of gas and could get no closer than seven points as Bartow rolled to an 80-64 win. The win raised the Jackets record to 19-6 for the year.
“It was a great atmosphere; it was Lake Wales and Bartow,” McGriff said.
“Give Coach Washington and his kids credit; they came to play. But we came to play as well.”
The Jackets next had to play the winner of the second game of the night with Haines City and Kathleen squaring off. Each team had won on their home court with large margins of victory during the regular season.
The game was full of drama as players were ejected for a bench-clearing scuffle that took place late in the fourth quarter. Kathleen was able to come back and win the game with a number of their players being suspended for the championship game for coming off the bench.
On Saturday night, it looked like the Jackets were going to put a beat down on the Red Devils as Bartow jumped out to an early 12-2 lead.
The Red Devils fought their way back in the game as the contest went to the half all square at 25-25.
As most of the Jacket Nation will remember, it has been Kathleen who has won four straight district titles and been in the state championship game the last two years. Everyone in the gym knew that the Red Devils would not go quietly into the night.
Bartow opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run to give them a 35-27 lead with 3:53 left in the quarter.
At that point, Kathleen called a time-out to regroup. After the time-out, the Red Devils made a run of their own, cutting the lead to 37-34 with 2:23 left in the third.
Clutch shooting for the Jackets shined through as Murvin drilled a three-pointer, extending the lead to six points. That was followed by a Vince Reid jumper with 1:54 left in the quarter, giving Bartow a 42-34 lead.
On the next possession, Kathleen scored inside but did not get a foul called that Kathleen Head Coach Drew Taylor thought should have been called. Taylor showed his rage on the sidelines and was promptly called for a technical foul with 13.7 seconds left before the final quarter of play.
Murvin made both technical foul shots to extend the Jacket lead to 44-38 as the game headed to the fourth quarter.
The Red Devils made one more run at the Jackets in the fourth quarter as Kathleen outscored Bartow 11-4 to take a 49-48 lead with 4:10 left in the game.
After the team surrendered the lead, the Jackets’ Jeremiah Samarrippas took things into his own hands as the Bartow point guard pulled up from three, with the ball finding nothing but net.
With less than four minutes left in the game, the Jackets retook the lead, 51-49.
The Red Devils hit two free throws on their next offensive possession to tie the game at 51-51.
Reggie Polite hit one of two free throws for the Jackets on the other end, giving the Jackets the lead back, 52-51 with 3:11 left in the title game.
Samarrippas forced a Kathleen turnover on their next possession and take it to the hole for two more, extending the Bartow lead to 54-51 with 2:56 left.
With just over two minutes left in the game, the Red Devils would drain a three to even the game again, with the score standing at 54-54.
With the game tied, the Jackets dropped the ball inside to Polite. Polite went up strong and made the basket as he was fouled on the play. Polite couldn’t get the free throw to fall, so the Bartow advantage stood at 56-54.
Bartow fouled Kathleen on their next possession with 1:38 left, sending the Red Devils to the line. Kathleen missed the first foul shot and the Jackets got the rebound.
Bartow tried to run the clock out, but with 1:04 left in the game, the Jackets tossed the ball out of bounds as they were milking the clock.
Bartow would make an ill-advised foul with 56.8 left. Kathleen made both foul shots to even the game at 56-56.
The Jackets seemingly held the ball for one shot, but with 42.6 left, Samarrippas got a long rebound on a missed Jacket shot; he quickly set and let it fly from three-point land. Boom, it hit the bottom of the net and the Jacket Nation went crazy as Bartow retook the lead, 59-56.
After snagging a steal, the Jackets got the ball back and Murvin was fouled with 19.4 left in the game. Murvin calmly stepped to the line and hit both free throws to ice the game.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Jackets had won 63-58, giving Bartow their first district championship since 1995 and their 20th win of the season.
The Jackets will play at home Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Palmetto High School in the regional quarterfinals.
Tickets for the game are available at the Bartow High School main office by calling 534-7400.
Jackets Ranked Number Two
in Latest Class 4A Poll
By Neal Duncan, Correspondent
The Florida Sports Writers Association (FSWA) and Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) Boys State Basketball poll for this week has been released. The poll was voted on by the Florida Sports Writers Association (FSWA) and members of the Florida Association of Basketball. The FSWA/FABC poll is posted on the front page of the FABCHOOPS.COM website.
The latest poll has the Bartow Yellow Jacket Boy’s Basketball Team ranked #2 in Class 4A, fresh of the Jackets defeat of Miami Pace, the polls previous #1.
Bartow plays this Friday night against the Lake Wales Highlanders in the District Semi-Finals at Haines City High School. The game will tip-off at 6:00p.m.
4A School W L Votes
1 Pensacola N A 42, 1
2 Bartow 18 6 40
3 Rickards 28 3 39, 2
4 Miami Pace 18 6 36, 1
5 Raines 19 4 26, 1
6 Godby 22 5 24
7 Andrew Jackson 18 6 20
8 Haines City 19 4 15
9 Cocoa 22 3 10
10 E. Gadsden/Bradford N A 6
Others: Glades Central 5, Cocoa Beach 2, Bishop Kenny 2, Springstead 2.
The latest poll has the Bartow Yellow Jacket Boy’s Basketball Team ranked #2 in Class 4A, fresh of the Jackets defeat of Miami Pace, the polls previous #1.
Bartow plays this Friday night against the Lake Wales Highlanders in the District Semi-Finals at Haines City High School. The game will tip-off at 6:00p.m.
4A School W L Votes
1 Pensacola N A 42, 1
2 Bartow 18 6 40
3 Rickards 28 3 39, 2
4 Miami Pace 18 6 36, 1
5 Raines 19 4 26, 1
6 Godby 22 5 24
7 Andrew Jackson 18 6 20
8 Haines City 19 4 15
9 Cocoa 22 3 10
10 E. Gadsden/Bradford N A 6
Others: Glades Central 5, Cocoa Beach 2, Bishop Kenny 2, Springstead 2.
Former Coach Sees Parallels
In Jacket Final Four Teams
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Attention, Jacket Nation — it has taken 20 years, but the Jacket boys’ basketball team is back in the Final Four.
Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Lakeland Center, the Jackets will take on Cocoa High School in the Class 4A state semifinals. If Bartow wins, they will play for the state championship Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Lakeland Center.
Jim Austin was the Bartow High School boys’ basketball coach from the 1986-1987 season through the 1995-1996 season. Austin and his teams won six district titles in nine years. The Jackets’ storied program has, including this year, won 23 district titles over the years.
Austin’s crew won Bartow’s third state championship in 1988 and just missed another one the following year, earning the 1989 state runner-up title. It was the third time the Jackets had been the state runner-up (1974 and 1979).
Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Lakeland Center, the Jackets will take on Cocoa High School in the Class 4A state semifinals. If Bartow wins, they will play for the state championship Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Lakeland Center.
Jim Austin was the Bartow High School boys’ basketball coach from the 1986-1987 season through the 1995-1996 season. Austin and his teams won six district titles in nine years. The Jackets’ storied program has, including this year, won 23 district titles over the years.
Austin’s crew won Bartow’s third state championship in 1988 and just missed another one the following year, earning the 1989 state runner-up title. It was the third time the Jackets had been the state runner-up (1974 and 1979).
Additionally, Austin’s teams missed the final four on four different occasions, as they were defeated in the regional finals. Bartow had won seven regional championships prior to the Jackets’ victory last Saturday night over Naples Lely.
Austin sees similarities in the 2008-2009 Jackets to his 1988 state championship team. “We were 6-3 or 6-4 across the board,” Austin said. “We were a lot like this team, interchangeable with players and we used pressure defense.”
Coach Austin remembered how the 1988 team was led in the finals by their sixth man, Roger Williams, who scored 27 points in the championship game and was named the MVP.
The 1988 squad could put up a lot of points, much like the current squad. “We averaged about 78 points a game that year. The pressure defense, rebounding, and free throws were to our team as they are to this year’s team,” Austin continued.
He also sees similarities in the team’s floor generals. “The point guard position also stands out, as Jeremiah Samarrippas is a lot like Alvin Pearsall was; they are about the same size and handle the ball very well.”
Coach Austin was asked what the Jackets would need to do in order to make it to the state championship game on Saturday.
“Score more points than Cocoa on Thursday,” he quipped. “No, in all seriousness, they (players) just need to keep that belief in Coach McGriff and the staff that they have had.
“They have never led them astray and this staff is really good. The coaching staff puts in so much time and they do a terrific job. The staff Coach McGriff has assembled is really incredible.”
Austin continued to heap praises on McGriff for the resurrecting of the Jacket program, returning it to the gold standard in Polk County and in the state of Florida.
“The discipline and work ethic Coach McGriff has shown and instilled in his players has gotten the program back to this point,” Austin said. “He has also gotten there by getting the parents, the administration, and community involved in the program.”
Many Jacket fans, Austin being one of them, believe the upset victory over a highly-ranked Lake Wales team four years ago in the district semi-finals started to turn things around for Bartow.
It gave the coaching staff the reaffirmed belief that the Jacket Nation could once again have pride in their basketball program. Not just for winning the game, but for having quality student athletes giving it their all on the hardwood.
The current Jacket team boasts a team grade point average more than 3.0.
All that’s missing now is the hardware to sit next to the 1988 trophy. Go Jackets!
Austin sees similarities in the 2008-2009 Jackets to his 1988 state championship team. “We were 6-3 or 6-4 across the board,” Austin said. “We were a lot like this team, interchangeable with players and we used pressure defense.”
Coach Austin remembered how the 1988 team was led in the finals by their sixth man, Roger Williams, who scored 27 points in the championship game and was named the MVP.
The 1988 squad could put up a lot of points, much like the current squad. “We averaged about 78 points a game that year. The pressure defense, rebounding, and free throws were to our team as they are to this year’s team,” Austin continued.
He also sees similarities in the team’s floor generals. “The point guard position also stands out, as Jeremiah Samarrippas is a lot like Alvin Pearsall was; they are about the same size and handle the ball very well.”
Coach Austin was asked what the Jackets would need to do in order to make it to the state championship game on Saturday.
“Score more points than Cocoa on Thursday,” he quipped. “No, in all seriousness, they (players) just need to keep that belief in Coach McGriff and the staff that they have had.
“They have never led them astray and this staff is really good. The coaching staff puts in so much time and they do a terrific job. The staff Coach McGriff has assembled is really incredible.”
Austin continued to heap praises on McGriff for the resurrecting of the Jacket program, returning it to the gold standard in Polk County and in the state of Florida.
“The discipline and work ethic Coach McGriff has shown and instilled in his players has gotten the program back to this point,” Austin said. “He has also gotten there by getting the parents, the administration, and community involved in the program.”
Many Jacket fans, Austin being one of them, believe the upset victory over a highly-ranked Lake Wales team four years ago in the district semi-finals started to turn things around for Bartow.
It gave the coaching staff the reaffirmed belief that the Jacket Nation could once again have pride in their basketball program. Not just for winning the game, but for having quality student athletes giving it their all on the hardwood.
The current Jacket team boasts a team grade point average more than 3.0.
All that’s missing now is the hardware to sit next to the 1988 trophy. Go Jackets!
Jacket Basketball
Head To Regional Semifinals
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Bartow High School boys’ basketball team won their first district title since 1995 last Friday night against Kathleen.
The victory was twice as sweet for Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff, as he picked up his 100th win at Bartow in addition to his first district title.
Thursday night the Jackets, as a district champion, got a home game as the Palmetto Tigers came calling to The Hive in the regional quarterfinals.
Sloppy play on the offensive end of the court hurt the Jackets early on. Bartow’s high-powered offensive was turning the ball over and missing shots.
However, the Jackets were solid with their defensive play and kept the game close. So with one quarter complete, the Jackets trailed 10-9.
After the Tigers extended their lead to 12-9 at the start of the second quarter, the Jackets went on a 12-2 run, taking a 21-14 with 3:16 left in the first half.
After a Palmetto basket, Vince Reid dropped in two for Bartow.
The Tigers then made one of two free throws, followed by a jumper from Bartow’s Richard Murvin. So, the score now was 25-17 in favor of the Jackets with 1:20 left before halftime.
Following the Murvin bucket, Palmetto misfired on the offensive end.
McGriff could be heard screaming from the sidelines for his Jackets to hold the ball for one last shot in the half.
Bartow was milking the clock nicely until an errant pass by the Jackets gave Palmetto the ball back as they scored on the resulting fast break.
With the Tiger basket, the game went to the half 25-19 in favor of the Jackets with the momentum slightly swinging to Palmetto.
The momentum stayed with the Tigers to start the third quarter, as it took them only 2:02 to pull even with the hometown team, 29-29.
The Jackets stopped the bleeding with a Murvin basket to retake the lead 31-29. That was followed by a Jeremiah Samarrippas steal and score.
Murvin would strike again with 4:52 left in the third, as he would can a three-pointer to raise the Jacket lead to five, 36-31.
The Tigers wouldn’t go away, following the Murvin three; Palmetto hit one of their own.
With 4:28 left in the third the score stood at 36-34.
The Jackets decided to go inside to the post where they found Reggie Polite. Polite couldn’t get the shot to go, but he did hit both free throws as he was fouled on the shot.
Once again, the Jackets forced a turnover with the full court press, as Samarrippas would score, making the score 40-34.
The game continued to go back and forth as Bartow would head to the fourth quarter with the score 46-38.
The game turned on a dime at the start of the fourth quarter. Tevin Grant for Bartow got the ball and took it to the hole. He wasn’t going to be stopped as he hammered home a reverse dunk that sent the Jacket Nation into a frenzy.
Off that dunk, the Jackets went on a game winning run in the fourth quarter, outscoring Palmetto 19-6. The defensive pressure was turned up even more as Bartow did not give up a field goal in the fourth quarter until a three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Jackets won the game 67-44. Bartow was led by Reid with 13 points and 10 rebounds, Samarrippas with 12 points and five assists, and Murvin with 11 points.
Bartow shot an outstanding 15-17 from the free throw line. “We will have to continue that during the playoffs,” McGriff said after the game.
The Jackets also hit the boards hard, out-rebounding Palmetto 38-18.
“Our defense and rebounding were superb all night. The first half we didn’t make many shots, but that happens on offense,” McGriff said.
When asked if the Grant dunk changed the game, McGriff said, “The dunk was big; it surprised the old ball coach.
“I am just proud of the boys. This is the second year in a row to get in the second round. Now, we want to go farther,” McGriff concluded.
The Jackets (21-6 on the season) will get that chance Tuesday night at home at 7 p.m. A familiar foe will be coming to The Hive, as the Kathleen Red Devils upset Sebring Thursday night 57-53.
So, the Jackets will face the Red Devils for the fourth time this season. Bartow has won all three previous battles, but will need the Jacket Nation there in full force to help the team in their quest for their first state championship since 1988.
Tickets for the regional semifinals may be purchased at the Bartow High School Main Office starting Tuesday at 8 a.m.
The victory was twice as sweet for Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff, as he picked up his 100th win at Bartow in addition to his first district title.
Thursday night the Jackets, as a district champion, got a home game as the Palmetto Tigers came calling to The Hive in the regional quarterfinals.
Sloppy play on the offensive end of the court hurt the Jackets early on. Bartow’s high-powered offensive was turning the ball over and missing shots.
However, the Jackets were solid with their defensive play and kept the game close. So with one quarter complete, the Jackets trailed 10-9.
After the Tigers extended their lead to 12-9 at the start of the second quarter, the Jackets went on a 12-2 run, taking a 21-14 with 3:16 left in the first half.
After a Palmetto basket, Vince Reid dropped in two for Bartow.
The Tigers then made one of two free throws, followed by a jumper from Bartow’s Richard Murvin. So, the score now was 25-17 in favor of the Jackets with 1:20 left before halftime.
Following the Murvin bucket, Palmetto misfired on the offensive end.
McGriff could be heard screaming from the sidelines for his Jackets to hold the ball for one last shot in the half.
Bartow was milking the clock nicely until an errant pass by the Jackets gave Palmetto the ball back as they scored on the resulting fast break.
With the Tiger basket, the game went to the half 25-19 in favor of the Jackets with the momentum slightly swinging to Palmetto.
The momentum stayed with the Tigers to start the third quarter, as it took them only 2:02 to pull even with the hometown team, 29-29.
The Jackets stopped the bleeding with a Murvin basket to retake the lead 31-29. That was followed by a Jeremiah Samarrippas steal and score.
Murvin would strike again with 4:52 left in the third, as he would can a three-pointer to raise the Jacket lead to five, 36-31.
The Tigers wouldn’t go away, following the Murvin three; Palmetto hit one of their own.
With 4:28 left in the third the score stood at 36-34.
The Jackets decided to go inside to the post where they found Reggie Polite. Polite couldn’t get the shot to go, but he did hit both free throws as he was fouled on the shot.
Once again, the Jackets forced a turnover with the full court press, as Samarrippas would score, making the score 40-34.
The game continued to go back and forth as Bartow would head to the fourth quarter with the score 46-38.
The game turned on a dime at the start of the fourth quarter. Tevin Grant for Bartow got the ball and took it to the hole. He wasn’t going to be stopped as he hammered home a reverse dunk that sent the Jacket Nation into a frenzy.
Off that dunk, the Jackets went on a game winning run in the fourth quarter, outscoring Palmetto 19-6. The defensive pressure was turned up even more as Bartow did not give up a field goal in the fourth quarter until a three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Jackets won the game 67-44. Bartow was led by Reid with 13 points and 10 rebounds, Samarrippas with 12 points and five assists, and Murvin with 11 points.
Bartow shot an outstanding 15-17 from the free throw line. “We will have to continue that during the playoffs,” McGriff said after the game.
The Jackets also hit the boards hard, out-rebounding Palmetto 38-18.
“Our defense and rebounding were superb all night. The first half we didn’t make many shots, but that happens on offense,” McGriff said.
When asked if the Grant dunk changed the game, McGriff said, “The dunk was big; it surprised the old ball coach.
“I am just proud of the boys. This is the second year in a row to get in the second round. Now, we want to go farther,” McGriff concluded.
The Jackets (21-6 on the season) will get that chance Tuesday night at home at 7 p.m. A familiar foe will be coming to The Hive, as the Kathleen Red Devils upset Sebring Thursday night 57-53.
So, the Jackets will face the Red Devils for the fourth time this season. Bartow has won all three previous battles, but will need the Jacket Nation there in full force to help the team in their quest for their first state championship since 1988.
Tickets for the regional semifinals may be purchased at the Bartow High School Main Office starting Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Jackets Play in Regional Basketball
Finals Tonight
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
Tuesday night at The Hive, the Bartow High School Boy’s Basketball team took another step toward their goal of a state championship by defeating the Kathleen Red Devils 71-54 in front of a jubilant sellout crowd in the regional semifinals.
The game didn’t start out as a blowout though, as the Red Devils jumped out to an 8-4 lead with 3:55 left to go in the first quarter.
Bartow would cut the lead to 8-6 on an impressive drive to the hoop that ended with a reverse lay-up by point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas.
After a defensive stop, sharpshooter Weedlens Beauvil nailed a three-pointer for the Jackets, giving them a 9-8 lead with 2:33 left in the quarter.
Vince Reid hit a Jacket shot at the end of the quarter, capping the first quarter run of 13 straight Bartow points. The run gave the Jackets a 17-8 lead, as Bartow seemed to be going for the early knockout punch.
The Jackets continued to play phenomenal defense, causing the Devils to turn over the ball or miss shots.
Bartow increased its advantage to 17 points at the end of the second quarter with the score sitting at 36-19.
There couldn’t have been anyone in the sold-out gym that thought the Devils would go away quietly, as Kathleen has been to two straight state championship games and for a decade been the model for dominate basketball in Polk County and in Class 4A.
The Red Devils made their run to start the third quarter as they scored the first eight points of the half, cutting the Jackets lead to 36-27.
Samarrippas stopped the run by making one of two free throws to push the Jacket lead back to 10 points, 37-27.
Once again the Jacket defense came up big, stopping Kathleen from scoring on their next offensive possession. After the stop, Samarrippas drove through the Kathleen defense. He got the bucket and was fouled on the play. After making the foul shot, the Bartow lead was back to 13 points, 40-27.
Kathleen scored four straight points to cut the lead to nine points when Samarrippas struck again, draining a three-pointer. So with 2:29 left in the third quarter, the Jackets led 43-31.
Kathleen showed why they have been at the top of Class 4A for 10 or more years with their never-say-die mentality. The Red Devils made three straight three-pointers to cut the lead to three points with 46.2 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jamal Lawson scored for the Jackets with 23.1 left in the quarter to extend the lead back to five as the game went to the fourth quarter, 45-40.
Kathleen scored two points to open the fourth, but that was quickly followed by a Beauvil three-pointer, giving the Jackets a six point lead, 48-42.
The Red Devils came right back with two more points, cutting the lead to four with 6:14 left in the game.
On the Jackets’ next offensive possession, Bartow went inside to big man Reggie Polite. He was fouled and was sent to the line where he only made the first, but missed the second.
However, Richard Murvin grabbed the offensive rebound and put it in. So with just more than five minutes left the Jackets led 51-44.
After Kathleen missed two free throws on the other end, Beauvil struck again for Bartow as he canned another three-pointer, sending the Jacket fans into a frenzy.
The basket gave the Jackets a 54-44 lead with 4:49 left in the game.
The Red Devils would cut the lead to 54-46 before the bottom would drop out from underneath Kathleen as Beauvil would provide the play of the game on the next offensive possession for Bartow.
The Jackets would pass to Beauvil for another three-pointer with 4:35 left in the game. He hit the shot and was fouled on the play. After making the free throw, Beauvil forced an offensive foul on the Devils on the inbounds pass. He stepped to the line and hit both free throws, making the score 60-48.
From there, Kathleen never recovered and the Jackets went on to the 71-54 victory. It was the fourth victory this year for Bartow over the rival Red Devils. The win raised the Jacket record to 22-6 on the season.
The Jackets were led by Beauvil with 25 points, Samarrippas with 16 points and six assists, and Reid and Polite with seven rebounds a piece.
After the game, Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff was asked about the environment of playing in front of the sold-out crowd.
“Bartow is the best sports town in Polk County,” McGriff said. “We have the best fans. It doesn’t matter if it’s football, baseball, softball — we always have great crowds in all sports.”
The Jackets travel to Naples Lely tonight to compete for the chance to play in the state semifinals next Thursday at the Lakeland Center. The game will start at 7 p.m. with a fan bus leaving Bartow High School today at 3:30 p.m. Seats are limited and the cost is $10 to ride on the motor coach.
Bartow fans are encouraged to caravan behind the bus if all seats are spoken for when they arrive at the school.
The game didn’t start out as a blowout though, as the Red Devils jumped out to an 8-4 lead with 3:55 left to go in the first quarter.
Bartow would cut the lead to 8-6 on an impressive drive to the hoop that ended with a reverse lay-up by point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas.
After a defensive stop, sharpshooter Weedlens Beauvil nailed a three-pointer for the Jackets, giving them a 9-8 lead with 2:33 left in the quarter.
The Jackets continued to play phenomenal defense, causing the Devils to turn over the ball or miss shots.
Bartow increased its advantage to 17 points at the end of the second quarter with the score sitting at 36-19.
There couldn’t have been anyone in the sold-out gym that thought the Devils would go away quietly, as Kathleen has been to two straight state championship games and for a decade been the model for dominate basketball in Polk County and in Class 4A.
The Red Devils made their run to start the third quarter as they scored the first eight points of the half, cutting the Jackets lead to 36-27.
Samarrippas stopped the run by making one of two free throws to push the Jacket lead back to 10 points, 37-27.
Once again the Jacket defense came up big, stopping Kathleen from scoring on their next offensive possession. After the stop, Samarrippas drove through the Kathleen defense. He got the bucket and was fouled on the play. After making the foul shot, the Bartow lead was back to 13 points, 40-27.
Kathleen scored four straight points to cut the lead to nine points when Samarrippas struck again, draining a three-pointer. So with 2:29 left in the third quarter, the Jackets led 43-31.
Kathleen showed why they have been at the top of Class 4A for 10 or more years with their never-say-die mentality. The Red Devils made three straight three-pointers to cut the lead to three points with 46.2 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jamal Lawson scored for the Jackets with 23.1 left in the quarter to extend the lead back to five as the game went to the fourth quarter, 45-40.
Kathleen scored two points to open the fourth, but that was quickly followed by a Beauvil three-pointer, giving the Jackets a six point lead, 48-42.
The Red Devils came right back with two more points, cutting the lead to four with 6:14 left in the game.
On the Jackets’ next offensive possession, Bartow went inside to big man Reggie Polite. He was fouled and was sent to the line where he only made the first, but missed the second.
However, Richard Murvin grabbed the offensive rebound and put it in. So with just more than five minutes left the Jackets led 51-44.
After Kathleen missed two free throws on the other end, Beauvil struck again for Bartow as he canned another three-pointer, sending the Jacket fans into a frenzy.
The basket gave the Jackets a 54-44 lead with 4:49 left in the game.
The Red Devils would cut the lead to 54-46 before the bottom would drop out from underneath Kathleen as Beauvil would provide the play of the game on the next offensive possession for Bartow.
The Jackets would pass to Beauvil for another three-pointer with 4:35 left in the game. He hit the shot and was fouled on the play. After making the free throw, Beauvil forced an offensive foul on the Devils on the inbounds pass. He stepped to the line and hit both free throws, making the score 60-48.
From there, Kathleen never recovered and the Jackets went on to the 71-54 victory. It was the fourth victory this year for Bartow over the rival Red Devils. The win raised the Jacket record to 22-6 on the season.
The Jackets were led by Beauvil with 25 points, Samarrippas with 16 points and six assists, and Reid and Polite with seven rebounds a piece.
After the game, Jacket Head Coach Terrence McGriff was asked about the environment of playing in front of the sold-out crowd.
“Bartow is the best sports town in Polk County,” McGriff said. “We have the best fans. It doesn’t matter if it’s football, baseball, softball — we always have great crowds in all sports.”
The Jackets travel to Naples Lely tonight to compete for the chance to play in the state semifinals next Thursday at the Lakeland Center. The game will start at 7 p.m. with a fan bus leaving Bartow High School today at 3:30 p.m. Seats are limited and the cost is $10 to ride on the motor coach.
Bartow fans are encouraged to caravan behind the bus if all seats are spoken for when they arrive at the school.
Jackets Win Regional Title,
Headed to the White House
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
This past Saturday night, the Bartow High School boys’ basketball team headed to Naples Lely for the chance to win their first regional title since 1989 and to continue their quest for a state title.
It didn’t take long for the Naples Lely Trojans to understand why floridahoops.com has the Jackets ranked as the number one team in Class 4A.
Bartow’s Jamal Lawson got off to a red hot start, scoring nine of Bartow’s first 10 points as the Jackets led 10-6 with just more than five minutes left to go in the first quarter.
The Jackets held a 17-8 lead with 3:37 left in the quarter when the Trojans hit a three-pointer and followed that by a made free throw as Tevin Grant fouled the Lely player on the made shot. Quickly, the home team cut the lead to 17-12 and the hometown folks started to get rowdy.
It didn’t take long for the Naples Lely Trojans to understand why floridahoops.com has the Jackets ranked as the number one team in Class 4A.
Bartow’s Jamal Lawson got off to a red hot start, scoring nine of Bartow’s first 10 points as the Jackets led 10-6 with just more than five minutes left to go in the first quarter.
The Jackets held a 17-8 lead with 3:37 left in the quarter when the Trojans hit a three-pointer and followed that by a made free throw as Tevin Grant fouled the Lely player on the made shot. Quickly, the home team cut the lead to 17-12 and the hometown folks started to get rowdy.
Grant made up for that mistake as he led the Jackets on a 12-2 run with two monster dunks that deflated the Trojan players, coaches, fans, cheerleaders, pep band, and anyone else that wasn’t part of the 300-plus Bartow fans that had made the long trip.
The Jackets headed to the second quarter with a commanding 31-14 lead as Bartow looked to hit the accelerator and leave the Trojans in the rear view mirror on the long trip to the Lakeland Center.
In the second quarter, the Jacket defense was more impressive than the offense as the Jackets suffocated the Trojans and headed to halftime with a comfortable 44-17 lead. Lely only scored three points in the quarter as the Jacket fans were going crazy, sensing that in two quarters the Jackets would be heading to the Final Four at the Lakeland Center.
Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff showed the Trojans mercy as he had his players hold the ball at times and went to his reserves early in the fourth quarter, as not to run up the score. The game ended with a Jacket victory and a 60-36 final, raising the Bartow record to 23-6.
Obviously McGriff was very happy after the game and complimentary of the Jacket Nation. “We have 250-300 people here that drove two and a half hours down here,” McGriff said. “It was an incredible atmosphere. We are a small town but we have big spirit.”
Defense and rebounding were keys to the Jacket win. McGriff agreed, “Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships.
“Our difficult schedule has gotten us ready for this. It’s been 20 years since we have been to the Lakeland Center; that place is going to be packed next Thursday night,” McGriff concluded.
For many years, the Lakeland Center was painted white and known among basketball enthusiasts as the White House.
Well, the Jackets will arrive at the White House Thursday night at 7 p.m. to take on Cocoa High School in the state semifinals. If Bartow can win that game, they will vie for the state championship Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Jacket fans need to come out in full force and give Bartow the home court advantage. For tickets or ticket information go to www.thelakelandcenter.com or contact the Lakeland Center box-office at 834-8111 or contact Ticketmaster at 682-5300.
The game Thursday night will be a “blue out,” with all Bartow fans asked to wear the Jacket blue. Special shirts for the game are on sale at the main office at Bartow High School for $10. There is a limited quantity of shirts, so get yours today.
The Jackets headed to the second quarter with a commanding 31-14 lead as Bartow looked to hit the accelerator and leave the Trojans in the rear view mirror on the long trip to the Lakeland Center.
In the second quarter, the Jacket defense was more impressive than the offense as the Jackets suffocated the Trojans and headed to halftime with a comfortable 44-17 lead. Lely only scored three points in the quarter as the Jacket fans were going crazy, sensing that in two quarters the Jackets would be heading to the Final Four at the Lakeland Center.
Bartow Head Coach Terrence McGriff showed the Trojans mercy as he had his players hold the ball at times and went to his reserves early in the fourth quarter, as not to run up the score. The game ended with a Jacket victory and a 60-36 final, raising the Bartow record to 23-6.
Obviously McGriff was very happy after the game and complimentary of the Jacket Nation. “We have 250-300 people here that drove two and a half hours down here,” McGriff said. “It was an incredible atmosphere. We are a small town but we have big spirit.”
Defense and rebounding were keys to the Jacket win. McGriff agreed, “Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships.
“Our difficult schedule has gotten us ready for this. It’s been 20 years since we have been to the Lakeland Center; that place is going to be packed next Thursday night,” McGriff concluded.
For many years, the Lakeland Center was painted white and known among basketball enthusiasts as the White House.
Well, the Jackets will arrive at the White House Thursday night at 7 p.m. to take on Cocoa High School in the state semifinals. If Bartow can win that game, they will vie for the state championship Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Jacket fans need to come out in full force and give Bartow the home court advantage. For tickets or ticket information go to www.thelakelandcenter.com or contact the Lakeland Center box-office at 834-8111 or contact Ticketmaster at 682-5300.
The game Thursday night will be a “blue out,” with all Bartow fans asked to wear the Jacket blue. Special shirts for the game are on sale at the main office at Bartow High School for $10. There is a limited quantity of shirts, so get yours today.
Jacket Title Hopes Fade Away
By NEAL DUNCAN, Sports Correspondent
The Bartow High School Boy’s Basketball team’s magical season ended abruptly Thursday night as they were defeated by the Cocoa High School Tigers, 61-52.
The Jackets never seemed to find a rhythm even as they headed to halftime with a 23-21 lead in front of the large hometown crowd at the Lakeland Center.
The Jackets found themselves still leading with a 34-30 advantage with 3:05 left in the third quarter when the bottom fell out for Bartow.
Cocoa outscored the Jackets 12-2 to end the quarter with Bartow trailing 42-36 as the game went to the fourth quarter.
The Jackets never seemed to find a rhythm even as they headed to halftime with a 23-21 lead in front of the large hometown crowd at the Lakeland Center.
The Jackets found themselves still leading with a 34-30 advantage with 3:05 left in the third quarter when the bottom fell out for Bartow.
Cocoa outscored the Jackets 12-2 to end the quarter with Bartow trailing 42-36 as the game went to the fourth quarter.
The Tigers took advantage of Jacket turnovers to increase their lead to 51-40 with less than four minutes left in the game.
Bartow did manage to make one more run at Cocoa by scoring eight straight points to cut the lead to three, 51-48 with 2:19 left in the game.
Cocoa was able to hold off the Jackets over the final two minutes for the 61-52 win, ending the Jackets’ quest for their first state title since 1988.
Bartow ended the season with a record of 23-7, winning their first district title in 14 years and their first regional title since 1989.
Next year the Jackets will be without the leadership of the three seniors from this year’s squad, Jamal Lawson, Jeff Thomas, and Shawn Montgomery, but the future is promising for Bartow as they return the rest of this year’s roster.
Though the Jackets didn’t win the state championship, the Jacket Nation should be proud of the resurrection that the program has had over the last few years. This team is full of good kids and with the commitment to education being a top priority for Jacket Basketball, the Bartow program is something all schools should strive to be.
Go Jackets!
Bartow did manage to make one more run at Cocoa by scoring eight straight points to cut the lead to three, 51-48 with 2:19 left in the game.
Cocoa was able to hold off the Jackets over the final two minutes for the 61-52 win, ending the Jackets’ quest for their first state title since 1988.
Bartow ended the season with a record of 23-7, winning their first district title in 14 years and their first regional title since 1989.
Next year the Jackets will be without the leadership of the three seniors from this year’s squad, Jamal Lawson, Jeff Thomas, and Shawn Montgomery, but the future is promising for Bartow as they return the rest of this year’s roster.
Though the Jackets didn’t win the state championship, the Jacket Nation should be proud of the resurrection that the program has had over the last few years. This team is full of good kids and with the commitment to education being a top priority for Jacket Basketball, the Bartow program is something all schools should strive to be.
Go Jackets!
