Editor's Note: Story updated to corrected an error, Quinn Rickey apparently was not flagged with a technical foul at the end of the game as previously noted.
| It was contentious from the start when Rocky Grove and Titusville boys basketball teams met Friday night in the opening round of the tip-off tournament at the Grove. It took more than 45 seconds for either team to settle down long enough to get a ball through the net, and it was Titusville who took the early lead with a single foul shot. From there, the Orioles scored nine unanswered points to take control of the game and keep it for the remainder of the first half. A few of Rocky Grove's starters found themselves in foul trouble early on. In fact, the Orioles had six fouls in the first quarter. Landen Carter stepped off the bench to light the gym on fire by downing back-to-back three-pointers that left the student section chanting "he's a freshman." Despite the fouls, Rocky Grove held a 16 to 9 lead over the Rockets at the end of the first eight minutes of play. In the second quarter, the teams took turns hitting threes to restart the action. Then Rocky Grove went on another run of seven points as Titusville struggled to shoot with any success for over two minutes of the quarter. Then it became another back-and-forth trading of points, but the Rockets could not manage to close the gap. By halftime, the Orioles had committed 13 fouls but remained overall in control with a 33 to 21 lead. The pace of the third quarter continued with fouls and aggressive play (Rocky Grove had seven fouls and Titusville had five), but both teams hit a slight scoring slump. Rocky Grove was able to pad the margin by three and it was 46 to 31 at the closed of the quarter. Less than two minutes into the final quarter and Titusville was shooting its first one-on-one foul shots of the half, which switched the momentum of the games. For the next two minutes, the Rockets seemed to gain command of the game. The 15-point deficit started to shrink - down to 13, then 11, 9, and with 4:39 left, Titusville was within seven points of a tie. It took the Orioles another 30 seconds to score again. The final four minutes of the game were as tense as the 28 that had proceeded them. Rocky Grove's Quinn Ritchey fouled out, but the Orioles kept their composure. The teams traded buckets for the next few minutes before Rocky Grove's Blayne Baker sealed the deal for the Orioles with just a minute left in the game. D'Andre Whitman, who played most of the game in foul trouble, slammed dunked the ball in the final seconds to give Rocky Grove the 67 to 53 win. |       |
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