Jacksonville Fl- With two seconds left in the game, Bishop Snyder’s Trent Walker inbounded the ball and found Moise Balungu who hoisted a jumper from the corner at the buzzer, however the shot sailed over the basket as the Providence student section rushed the court in elation. The Stallions were victorious, defeating (14-13) Bishop Snyder 48-47 on Tuesday night in the Class 3A Regional Semifinals.
The close ending was indicative of the fast start by both teams in the contest. Providence jumped out to a quick lead on the shooting of Junior Mason Lee, and Sophomore Jaylen Robinson. Robinson was strong in the paint banging bodies and banking buckets for lay-ins.
Mason Lee had a sweet stroke in the first, able to knock down jumpers from the arc, or drive to the basket for points. Lee had 10 points at halftime. Lee finished with 14 points in the game.
Bishop Snyder kept it close in the first half. Moise Balungu had 10 first half points has well as he muscled his way to points down low. Providence led at halftime 25-18 over Bishop Snyder.
In the second half, Bishop Snyder would come out more aggressive with it’s wing players. In particular Trent Walker, who was scoreless in the first half but scored 5 points in the 3rd quarter. He hit a big 3-pointer to bring the Cardinals to within one point 35-34 in the 3rd.
Another player who stepped up for Bishop Snyder in the second half was Jalen Gilmore. He looked determined to bring home a win for his team scoring 6-points in the third quarter.
However, Providence was just too much in the end. Coach Jim Martin and his staff were able to exploit the full court press by Bishop Snyder who attempted to force turnovers. Chris Arias was one of the Stallions able to gallop to the hole for scores in the second half to stave off a late comeback by Bishop Snyder. He would finish with 11 points on the evening.
In the end, Providence’s defense stood tall, denying the entry pass to the Cardinal shooters and forcing a low percentage shot at the buzzer resulting in the Stallion win. Providence (25-4) will move on to the third round of the playoffs. A Regional Final matchup with (21-7) Florida State University (FSU) on Friday. The winner of the Elite 8 matchup will head to the Final 4 in Lakeland.
