Rams roar back to thrash Gators
Palm Beach Lakes dominates 2nd half after trailing by 11.
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Palm Beach Lakes lost most of its starting lineup to graduation. But those who have stepped into lead roles this year are doing just fine.
Denzel Robinson scored a game-high 21 points, and Giancarlo Rosado added 16 to lead Palm Beach Lakes to a 74-49 boys basketball victory over host Palm Beach Gardens Tuesday night.
Sheldon Edwards pitched in 15 points for the Rams (2-2), who posted a big second half after trailing by 11 points at halftime.
The Gators, who were led by Armani Hayes’ 16 points, dropped to 0-3.
“It’s amazing when you start making shots, and the defense starts to pick up and guys feel good about themselves,” said Palm Beach Lakes coach Lorenzo Hands, who led the Rams to the Class 8A state semifinals last season. “It took us a half to figure out what they were doing, but in the second half we just started hitting shots.”
Palm Beach Lakes got off to a dismal start, missing its first five shots and turning the ball over twice within the first four minutes.
The Gators didn’t shoot much better, but jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before the Rams scored their first field goal with 4:06 left in the first quarter.
Palm Beach Gardens jumped out to an 11-2 lead following back-to-back 3-pointers from Ricardrick Haye.
The Gators closed the quarter leading 15-4.
Palm Beach Lakes’ shooting woes continued to start the second quarter, while Hayes was hitting from all over for the Gators.
The senior guard led all scorers with 12 points at halftime, and helped stake Palm Beach Gardens to a 30-19 halftime lead.
But it didn’t last. The Rams pulled within 36-30 at the midway point of the third quarter.
Palm Beach Lakes got within three points later in the quarter, and then tied it at 38 on a Robinson 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining.
The Rams retook the lead 41-40 on another Robinson 3-pointer as time expired in the quarter.
The final quarter belonged to Palm Beach Lakes, as the Rams rainws 3-pointers.
Palm Beach Lakes went up by 19, and closed the game with a 25-point cushion.