Prep boys basketball: FBA edges out Seacrest to claim its 10th district win of the season
The last time the First Baptist Academy and Seacrest Country Day School boys basketball teams met, the Lions cruised past the Stingrays by 17 points.
In their second meeting on Tuesday night, the game came down to the wire.
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After Jovan Stulic hit the Stingrays seventh 3-pointer of the night to bring the game within one 39-38, Preston Urbanic responded with a 3 to give the Lions a four-point lead that they wouldn’t surrender in a 49-45 victory at Seacrest on Tuesday.
“I hadn’t seen many open looks tonight and my teammate made a great defensive play,” Urbanic said. “The ball bounced right to me and I knew I had to hit it, and I just did what I had to do and knocked it down.”
While the Stingrays stayed within striking distance in a two-possession game with 22 seconds remaining, the Lions came up with a big steal, and Urbanic converted a layup in transition to secure the victory, their 10th in the district.
“We’ve been battling a lot of obstacles lately with some players hurt and battling the flu with more than half of our team,” FBA coach Scott Stewart said. “Give Seacrest credit. They did a great job with our game plan, but I’m really happy with the perseverance of our team.”
The Lions travel to Southwest Florida Christian Academy on Friday, while the Stingrays host Moore Haven on Friday.
Urbanic scored eight of his 23 points in the final quarter to push the Lions (12-5) past the Stingrays.
“He’s a big player, and he makes big shots,” Stewart said. “He’s done that for the last three years for us. That’s why he’s over 1,000 points in his career as a junior.”
Combining for all seven of Seacrest’s three-pointers, Wilson Welkenbach and Stulic led the Stingrays (10-5) with 14 and 16 points, respectively.
“They’re both very good shooters,” Seacrest coach Bill Carufe said. “I was very happy with the way they let the game come to them. They didn’t force their 3s and they waited for the right shot.”
Opening the game on with a 9-0 run, the Lions built a 13-point lead behind their stingy zone defense.
But Welkenbach knocked down three 3-pointers to help the Stingrays spark a 16-2 run.
After being held to just five points in the first, the Stingrays knocked down four 3s in the second to storm back and take their first lead of the night.
The Lions led by a point at the half, and a 9-0 run in the third gave them a nine-point lead, but the Stingrays responded with a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to three going into the final quarter.
