- April 19, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Sandcrabs guard Justin Belen attempts a layup over an FPC defender. Photo by Ray Boone
Sandcrabs guard Jalen Green dribbles the ball in the second half against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
A pair of FPC defenders try to strip the ball from Seabreeze guard Riley Oldam. Photo by Ray Boone
FPC's Norman Brown banks in a layup over Seabreeze forward Tyrell Tellis-Martin (No. 24). Photo by Ray Boone
Seabreeze's Jalen Green sinks a layup against the Bulldogs. Photo by Ray Boone
Sandcrabs guard Riley Oldham attempts a layup. Photo by Ray Boone
Seabreeze's Jalen Green puts his hands on his hips as FPC's lead increases. Photo by Ray Boone
Sandcrabs coach Pepper Johnson disagrees with a foul call during Seabreeze's game against the Bulldogs. Photo by Ray Boone
Seabreeze's Amari Davis attempts a layup against the Bulldogs. Photo by Ray Boone
In the second quarter against Flagler Palm Coast, the Sandcrabs could do no wrong. After falling behind eight points at the 5:55 mark in the period, the Sandcrabs’ sharpshooters got back to what they do best: shooting the ball.
By the 4:15 mark in the quarter, the Bulldogs’ once steady lead was down to a single point. And to cap off Seabreeze’s stellar effort in the second frame, forward Tyrell Tellis-Martin pulled up from well beyond the arc and ripped the net on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Sandcrabs the halftime lead over the Bulldogs.
That’s where Seabreeze’s rally ended, however, as the Sandcrabs (1-1) were worn down in a 79-66 defeat at the hands of Flagler Palm Coast (1-0) on the night of Thursday, Nov. 30, at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Guard Jalen Green led the Sandcrabs with 21 points.
“It was a game of runs,” Seabreeze coach Pepper Johnson said. “We fought hard, but we just couldn’t get over the hump.”
The Sandcrabs fell behind 15-8 early in the first quarter but battled back to cut FPC’s deficit to two before the end of the period. A second quarter rally that included five triples gave them confidence going into the second half. Even when the Bulldogs scored seven unanswered points to start the final half, Seabreeze stormed back to retake the lead.
But as the game wore on, the size of FPC’s frontcourt began to take a toll on an undersized Sandcrabs team. Bulldogs forwards Norman Brown and Dmahgio Warren scored 26 and 21 points each, respectively.
“Most of their guys are only like 5-foot-10, 5-foot-11,” Johnson said of the Bulldogs’ frontcourt players. “But they weigh like 220 to 230 pounds. And here we are, 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds on average. They overpowered us. They started pounding the ball, and we had a hard time keeping up.”
Regardless, Johnson said his team had its chances to win its second-straight game of the season, and he sees success going forward — if the Sandcrabs can continue to work for it.
“I think we’re a great team, but we’ve got to get better,” he said. “We’ve got to make our layups and hit the open jump shot. We’ve just got to get back in the gym and work on what we need to work on to get better. That’s a good team we lost to. We can bounce back.”
