Falcons fall short

BRADENTON

Fort Myers Canterbury School went inside to open up the outside against Saint Stephen's Thursday night.

The Cougars went to 6-foot-8, 230-pound senior center Marlin Jordan and 6-9 Simon Wilbar in the early going, but it was 6-1 senior guard Bryson Royal who did the damage from the outside.

Royal scored 10 points in the third quarter when the Cougars took the lead for good and went on to a 60-49 victory over the Falcons in a Class 3A-Region 3 boys basketball semifinal at Hoagland Arena.

While Canterbury (17-11) moves on to Tuesday’s regional final, one of Saint Stephen's most successful seasons came to an end at 21-6.

“That was our game plan to go inside out,” Cougars coach Mike Hibbs said. “I knew they were probably going to double on Simon in the post and move him out of his spot, which they did. We were trying to get more movement too.”

The Falcons defended well early and went back and forth with Canterbury on their home floor.

However, Alex Cedeno and Royal hit 3-pointers to begin the second quarter to give the Cougars a 19-14 lead.

After a timeout, Saint Stephen’s responded with six straight points on a steal and layup by Ty Barker and layups from Ben Schnur and Cam Vining to take a 20-19 advantage.

It was the Falcons’ final lead.

Royal scored seven straight, including a four-point play, as part of a 9-0 run.

“He definitely did (break the game open),” Hibbs said. “He played great all game, especially that second quarter. And we can always count on him to guard. That was a big series there. He’s just a steady influence for us.”

Saint Stephen’s never got closer than five points in the third quarter and six points the rest of the game.

“I watched some tape. I know they’re good,” Hibbs said. “Their 21-5 (record) speaks for itself. The game film I watched ... they play hard. They play extremely hard and are well-coached and they’re disciplined. They gave us everything they could give us.”

Chase Garrett, a 6-3 sophomore guard, led the Cougars with 19 points. Royal ended with 14 points. Wilbur also reached double figures in scoring with 12.

Coming off their first district title in program history and searching for their first regional victory, the Falcons got 19 points from Barker, a junior, and 15 from Schnur, a senior.

Along with Schnur, Saint Stephen’s graduates Oliver Leclezio, Ross Springstead, Jarrett Millican and Cade Westberry, the District 16 Class 3A Player of the Year.

Coach Dave Ruemenapp, the District 16 3A Coach of the Year, will return five juniors and four sophomores as he attempts to keep the momentum rolling at Saint Stephen’s next season.