Ocoee vs. Osceola in TCBI title tilt
Thomas went 5-for-6 on free throws down the stretch. Teammate Tyrese Carraballo went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 37 seconds.
Tournament host TFA fell behind by 16 points against Bishop Moore but worked its way back into the game and found a way to win 57-51 in a consolationbracket game.
The Royals (3-5) scored only two baskets in the first 10 minutes and 24 seconds of play and both of those were off offensive rebounds by senior Kam Summers. TFA adjusted against Bishop Moore’s sticky zone defense and rallied back from deficits of 20-4 and 39-23.
TFA tied the game 40-40 on a 3-point shot by ninth-grader Jimmy Andrial and took its first lead on another basket by Andrial with 3:38 remaining.
“We started really slow and Bishop Moore made some big shots,” said Summers, who scored 14 points. “Coach [Chris Mayberry] told us at halftime to lock in and get our minds right. We trusted each other.”
Junior guard Jayden Battle added 12 points and 8 rebounds in the win.
TFA faces a much bigger challenge, particularly size-wise, in Saturday’s ninth-place game against Georgia’s Dutchtown (11-2). Dutchtown rallied to beat Daytona Beach Mainland 67-48, with Mann scoring 18 points and guard Kameron Hobbs pouring in 24.
In other consolation games involving area teams, Boone lost 58-47 against Memphis Southwind (8-4) and Oviedo lost 73-68 to Seffner Christian (1-6).
Javion Phelps scored 20 for Boone (8-2), which lost its second in a row following an 8-0 start to the season. The Braves will play Bishop Loughlin (3-5) in Saturday’s seventh-place game at 2.
Mamush Galloway scored 24 points for Oviedo (3-6), which lost its game by nine points or less for the fifth time.
National No. 1 Montverde Academy had five double-figure scorers and routed Whitney Young of Chicago 82-56 in a City of Palms Classic quarterfinal game in Fort Myers. The Eagles (8-0) will play a semifinal on Saturday at Florida SouthWestern State College. The final is Monday night.
West Oaks got 24 points from Kansas State signee Selton Miguel but lost to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy 70-60 in a Signature Series game. It was the second time this year the Flame has lost to the Eagles (12-0).