Class 6A Finals: Miami Norland Wins Third State Title
Sat. March 03, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. | By B.J. Pitzen
BY B.J. PITZEN
LEDGER CORRESPONDENT
LAKELAND | Miami Norland won its third FHSAA title on Saturday in the Class 6A boys basketball finals at The Lakeland Center with a 44-point second half against Leesburg to win, 64-36.
Cleon Roberts scored the first six points of the game and the Vikings (29-3) posted nine points almost five minutes into the game before Leesburg (23-10) chalked up a free-throw.
“I knew if I came out hard like that, that would get the rest of my team hyped up and get ready to play,” Roberts, who led the Viking attack with 27 points, said.
Roberts’ sisters Cleandra (who has two rings from Norland’s girls back-to-back state title team in 2009 and 2010 and currently plays for Long Island University) and Nia (who currently plays for Norland and was a freshman on the 2010 team) provided the senior standout plenty of motivation this week in Lakeland.
“It means a lot (to win the state final) especially since the coach (Lawton Williams III) nags me about my sisters’ rings,” Roberts said.
Leesburg pulled to within five after the first period but the Yellow Jackets shot 2-for-11 from the field and began a poor field-goal shooting trend (below 25-percent) they’d carry throughout the rest of the game.
“We ran up against a good team that happened to have a significant size advantage on us,” Marcel Thomas, who coached the Yellow Jackets to a Class 4A state title last season, said. "(It’s a) tough feeling when you feel like your hands are tied behind your back because you’re not making shots that you normally make.”
“We ran up against a good team that happened to have a significant size advantage on us,” Marcel Thomas, who coached the Yellow Jackets to a Class 4A state title last season, said. "(It’s a) tough feeling when you feel like your hands are tied behind your back because you’re not making shots that you normally make.”
In a low scoring first half, the Vikings' went 8-for-21 from the field compared with the Yellow Jackets' 5-for-21 as Norland led 20-13.
Norland hit 10-of-13 field goals while the Vikings’ defense limited Leesburg to two field goals in the third period. Roberts added nine points in the third quarter and Maljhum McCrea, who totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds, had a dunkwith 0:11 left in the third quarter to put the Norland up 22 points heading into the final period.
"Last night (Friday against Winter Haven), I played horrible," McCrea, who was held to four points and a rebound in Norland's 46-37 win against the Blue Devils, said. "I just came
out (against Leesburg) with the mindset of doing my role of rebounding and scoring points."
out (against Leesburg) with the mindset of doing my role of rebounding and scoring points."
Norland's 15-point margin in the third quarter and 20-point final period was too much for Leesburg as the Vikings wrapped up the 28-point win and their third state title.
“I think the length of our kids took a toll on them,” Williams, whose Vikings’ outrebounded Leesburg by 20 boards and made 11 steals in the game, said. “Even our guards are long. We got a lot of deflections and loose balls.”
Williams’ also coached Norland to titles in 2006 and 2008.
Miami Norland (64): Gino Fils-Aime (2-3 0-0 5), Cleon Roberts (12-17 3-3 27), Dalvin Roberts (0-0 0-0 0), Kevin Duncan (2-4 0-0 4), Tyrell Williams (2-5 2-4 6), Tyron Romer (0-1 0-0 0), Erron Cooper (0-2 0-0 0), Demetrius Fabien (0-2 1-3 1), Shering Henry (0-0 0-0 0), Jamell Peacock (1-1 0-0 2), Demari Bedward (0-1 0-0 0), Maljhum McCrea (7-11 2-5 16), Jovany Deceus (0-1 0-0 0), Rodney Bissainthe (1-1 1-1 3), Otis Pitts (0-0 0-0 0). Totals 27-49 9-16 64.
Leesburg (36): Joe Toolie (1-13 4-6 6), Julliard Roberts (0-3 0-0 0), D’Mauri Jones (3-7 2-2 8), Undra Mitchem (2-10 0-0 6), Nykei Little (0-2 1-2 1), Troy Willis (2-3 3-6 7), Tavian Cummings (0-0 0-0 0), Adrian Falconer (0-0 0-0 0), Brian Norflee (0-3 0-0 0), Taj Lake (1-4 0-0 3), Tre Bisbee (2-2 1-1 5). Totals 11-47 11-17 36.
Miami Norland 10 10 24 20 – 64
Leesburg 5 8 9 14 – 36
Halftime: Norland 20-13. 3-pointers: LBG 3 (Mitchem 2, Lake 1); NRL 1 (Fils-AIme). Rebounds: NRL 43 (McCrea 10); LBG 23 (Jones 5). Assists: NRL 11 (Roberts 4); LBG 8 (Toolie 5). Steals: NRL 11 (Roberts 4); LBG 7 (Willis 3). Records: NRL 29-3; LBG 23-10.
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