District Boys Basketball roundup: PSL solves Satellite puzzle, advances to 13-5A Final
PORT ST. LUCIE — Games get tighter as the month of February rolls along.
With the leap in quality opponents and the stakes on the line, games also tend to slow in pace.
Against a strong Satellite team and its confusing zone defense, the Port St. Lucie boys basketball team struggled in moments offensively and didn’t appear it would reach its season scoring average of 67 points per game. But by getting more comfortable as the night progressed, the Jaguars got close.
More importantly, they are one victory away from a district title.
PSL expanded a slim halftime cushion in the third quarter and never looked back en route to a 64-56 win over the Scorpions during a District 13-5A semifinal on Thursday at Port St. Lucie High School.
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Clinging to a 25-21 advantage at the half, the home team pushed its lead to as much as 14 points in the second half.
“It was about just sticking with it and staying focused,” Jags head coach Kareem Rodriguez said. “It’s a district semifinal, that’s the way games are going to be and every possession is important. I commend (the Scorpions), they’re a very good team. And I commend us for sticking with it and getting the win.”
The senior duo of Ryan Rodriguez and Makhari Chambliss combined for 49 of the team’s 64 points. Not surprisingly, they were key in getting PSL out of neutral.
After hitting a pair of free throws to start the half, Rodriguez skied into the lane for an acrobatic putback. Following a Satellite miss, Chambliss converted a layup in transition, resulting in a Scorpions timeout. Rodriguez later capped an 8-0 run with a tough jumper to make it 33-23 early in the third quarter.
The visitors would not trim the deficit below six points the rest of the night.
Port St. Lucie (20-7) is the No. 2 seed in the district while Satellite (19-6) was seeded third. With the victory, the Jaguars will try to capture their first district title since the program’s final four run in 2006. They’ll play at 7 p.m. at top-seeded Rockledge.
“It didn’t just start in the offseason. It started four years ago when we came together and decided our goal was to win the district championship, and now we’re here,” said Ryan Rodriguez, who finished with a game-high 29 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
“This is something that we dreamed of when we were freshmen. And we know we’ve put in the work every single day,” said Chambliss, who added 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. “The offseason, we continued to get better and now the hard work is starting to pay off.”
Fellow senior Javien Sapienza added seven points to go with three steals and two blocks.
Junior Jerke Gabriel grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while junior Kevin Thomas was second on the team in plus/minus with a plus-13.
Here are three takeaways from Thursday night.
Port St. Lucie solves Satellite’s zone
The Jaguars lived in transition through the opening minutes, scoring four layups on the break to claim a 13-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
From there, the hosts went cold, going without a field goal through their first 12 possessions of the second quarter. That was due in part to a zone defense that trapped ball handlers and occasionally extended pressure near halfcourt.
However, in the final moments of the first half, PSL seemed to figure it out. The home team was patient in moving the ball before attacking the paint, either through its passes inside or hard drives to the rim.
“It was difficult, but we were able to make some adjustments, get the ball to the high post, get to the basket and make some layups to get us going,” Kareem Rodriguez said.
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Satellite remained in the zone during the second half. And Port St. Lucie continued to have the answers for it. Chambliss put the game on ice after driving through the lane and finishing strong through contact for a three-point play, making it 58-44 midway through the fourth.
“We saw the way they were playing their defense and (that area) was open in the second half,” Chambliss said. “So I told my teammates, ‘Hey, when you get the ball at this particular spot, this other spot is wide open.' He saw me, I got the ball on that play and I knew the defender would jump because of how open I was. I was able to get him in the air and get the and-1.”
“It’s going to come, it’s going to come”
It’s never a surprise whenever Ryan Rodriguez strolls to the charity stripe.
He’s just about as good as anyone getting there. The 6-foot-5 combo guard is ranked 16th in the nation in free throws made, according to MaxPreps.
On Thursday, his work at the line was necessary as his shooting from the field was off early. The senior had eight points in the first half, six by nailing all of his free-throw attempts.
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The iron was much kinder to the star after halftime, as he had a 3-pointer from the top of the key bounce off the front rim, off the backboard and through the net during a third quarter where he poured in 11 points.
“In the first half when my shots weren’t falling and I was getting to the line a little, I kept telling myself, ‘It’s going to come, it’s going to come. My coaches at halftime were like, ‘It’s going to come, it’s going to come,” Ryan Rodriguez said. “I came out after halftime, I felt strong and it came. I just felt confident and my teammates were just getting me the rock.”
The senior didn’t miss from the free-throw line, finishing a perfect 12-for-12.
“That’s what he’s done for the last two seasons,” Kareem Rodriguez said. “He’s very good at hunting for his fouls and he makes his free throws. So we count on him to do that and we count on him to make smart decisions.”
Jaguars protect their house
With PSL entering districts on the outside looking to a playoff spot, there’s a realistic chance that five seniors played their final home game Thursday night.
The Jaguars are ranked 10th in Region 4-5A and likely would only get another game in front of their fans by winning the district and being seeded against a non-district champion at regionals.
Needless to say, those seniors, some of whom grew up in that gym, understood the assignment.
“We’re just grateful for every opportunity to play at home,” Ryan Rodriguez said. “We always tell our teammates and we tell each other that we can’t lose at home. This is our home, and we just want to protect it for as long as possible.”
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Now, Port St. Lucie moves on to the district title game. It’s either win or go home, and that doesn’t mean back to its home court.
“We got a tough task ahead of us,” Kareem Rodriguez said. “Rockledge is a really good team, but we’re just going to focus on us, preparing mentally and being ready to possibly win a district title Saturday night.
“It’s been a goal of ours all season long and to be in this situation is just a culmination of the kids’ hard work and dedication.”
Other area scores
District 7-7A semifinals
No. 5 Fort Pierce Central 75, No. 1 Palm Beach Lakes 59: For the second time in three days, the Cobras have upended a higher. First, it was Centennial, now it's the top-seeded Rams who were taken out in West Palm Beach.
The visitors were paced by Joseph Gayle. The junior put up 31 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Christopher Maxon added 16 points, six assists and six rebounds while Christian Maxon had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
Looking for its first district title since 2011, Central (17-10) at No. 2 Jupiter.
No. 2 Jupiter 65, No. 3 Treasure Coast 52: The Titans had their seven-game winning streak come to a close following a road loss to the Warriors.
Stats were unavailable.
Entering district ranked ninth in Region 2-7A, Treasure Coast saw its record drop to 18-7.
District 8-6A
No. 1 South Fork 71, No. 5 Heritage 50: The top-seeded Bulldogs will host the district title game thanks to a comfortable victory over the Panthers. Stats were unavailable.
South Fork (19-5) plays on Saturday at home against Viera.
No. 2 Viera 72, No. 3 Martin County 61: Down big at halftime, the Tigers couldn’t rally in a road loss to the Hawks.
The visitors entered the second half down 47-30. They won both the third and fourth quarters, but it wasn’t enough.
Martin County (9-17) was denied its fifth consecutive district title.
District 13-5A
No. 1 Rockledge 57, No. 4 Okeechobee 38: The Brahmans’ season concluded following a road loss to the top-seeded Raiders. Stats were unavailable.
Okeechobee finishes at 16-11.
District 8-3A
No. 1 Cardinal Newman 71, No. 5 John Carroll Catholic 59: A terrific third quarter was overshadowed by a tough fourth as the Rams were knocked out by the Crusaders in West Palm Beach.
The visitors trailed 38-28 at the half before storming back with a 21-12 third quarter. However, Cardinal Newman regained control by outscoring John Carroll 21-10 over the last eight minutes.
The Rams finished with a 11-16 record.
District 13-2A
No. 1 Morningside Academy, No. 4 Pineapple Cove Classical Academy 44: The Eagles cruised to the district title game following a blowout victory over the Patriots.
Four players scored in double figures for Morningside (15-11), led by Damon Folds’ 17 points. Elijah Bell contributed 16 points while James Bolton and Marvin Tidas added 14 and 11 points, respectively.
At 3 p.m. Saturday, the Eagles take on Merritt Island Christian from Vero Beach.
No. 3 Merritt Island Christian 72, No. 2 St. Edwards 70 (2OT): The Pirates were turned away in heartbreaking fashion after suffering a double-overtime road loss to the Cougars.
The teams were tied 62-62 at the end of regulation and 67-67 after the first overtime before MIC prevailed.
St. Edward’s finishes with a 9-13 record.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Basketball: Port St. Lucie finds rhythm vs. Satellite, heads to district final
