Leesburg Ends A 25-year State Drought

A Stellar Defensive Effort Through Three Quarters Propelled Leesburg By Atlantic.

Boys Regional Basketball Finals

March 03, 2002|By Joe Williams, Sentinel Staff Writer

LEESBURG -- After being one of the state's winningest basketball teams during the past nine years, Leesburg's boys ended a 25-year absence from the state tournament Saturday night in a packed Ray Hayes Memorial Gymnasium.

Leesburg (29-5) used a stifling defense for three quarters, and a 26-point performance from senior guard Brandon Kelley to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 78-62 victory over Port Orange Atlantic in the Class 4A, Region 2 final, played before a crowd of about 1,000.

The Yellow Jackets, who will play in the semifinals Thursday against St. Petersburg Lakewood, an 86-54 winner over Lakeland Kathleen, last made it to the state tournament in 1977 when they won the Class 3A state title.

Leesburg, which has won at least 20 games in eight of the past nine seasons, reached the regional final last year before losing to Belleview.

"We promised ourselves after that Belleview game that we would get to state this year,'' said Kelley. "We knew we had the team and the talent to make it to state, but we knew we were going to have to work to get there.''

That work paid off with one of Leesburg's best defensive efforts of the season. The Yellow Jackets limited Atlantic (21-9) to only 28 points in the first three quarters. Their focus was on Sharks' guard Kyle Lefebvre. Lefebvre only had four points entering the fourth , but finished with 16.

"What we tried to do was take No. 3 [Lefebvre] out of the game,'' Leesburg Coach Chad Keller said.

Leesburg 78, Port Orange Atlantic 62

Resources

March 3, 2002

Joe Williams

Staff Writer

Orlando Sentinel

Article provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
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