When Nature Coast first started their Christmas tournament five years ago, they lost a close finale to Tarpon Springs, 53-50. That was an eight-team tournament, and head coach Dave Pisarcik decided to up the ante by making subsequent tournaments 16-teams separated into two brackets. This was an overwhelming success, and coming into the fifth annual tournament, Pisarcik had some familiar faces come to the Shark Tank, including some former winners.
And after this tournament, it was safe to say that even in year 5, this tournament was just as action-packed as years past.
Riding behind his incredibly hot young team, led by senior guard Robert McAfee, Pisarcik and the Sharks became only the second team in tournament history to win multiple events, defeating the Alonso Ravens, 74-57. This matchup, the championship game in the “B” bracket, was an exact replica of last year’s championship game, which also saw NCT defeat Alonso 52-34.
For the Sharks, who continue their torrid pace to start the season, their team has been centered around the speedy play of guard Estevan Lopez, the Steph Curry range of guard Austin Rivera, and the post play of big men Robert Gomez, Jacob Caban, and Orien Adams. Pisarcik has enjoyed “spreading the love” throughout his entire team, and his main players provide that spark to get the bench players ready for when their number is called.
Yet it has been McAfee, who had 31 points in the finale, has been the anchor for NCT this season, and the team tends to have their best games offensively when he’s hot. That statement can also be confirmed further with a fun statistic: aside from their opening preseason game against George Jenkins (a loss by 30 points) and a 48-43 victory over Crystal River, the Sharks this season have not failed to score at least 60 points in a game, averaging an astounding 73.4 PPG in the month of December.
The other bracket in this year’s tournament, which featured some premier competition in Fletcher (Neptune Beach) and the only out-of-state competitor (Berkmar, GA) saw the Lakeland Dreadnaughts, who coming into the tournament were the only repeat winners, become the first team to win three tournaments, winning their final game against the Armwood Hawks. Their MVP, senior power forward Luke Anderson, was a monster throughout the tournament, posting double-doubles in all three games and enabling Lakeland to have the only two instances of a team breaking 80 points in the entire 16-team field.
Final Results for both brackets, including members of All-Tournament Team:
“B” Bracket
8th place- Hernando Leopards (#11 Jacob Batten)
7th place- Jefferson Dragons (#24 David Harris)
6th place- Zephyrhills Bulldogs (#4 Derrico Quiles)
5th place- Land O’ Lakes Gators (#2 Mekhi Perry)
4th place- Mitchell Mustangs (#22 JP Watt)
3rd place- George Jenkins Eagles (#12 Adarius Lee and #30 Jordan Domineck)
Runner-up: Alonso Ravens (#10 Skyler Boykin and #22 Sager Cavalier)
Champion: Nature Coast Sharks (#3 Austin Rivera and #21 Orien Adams; MVP- #14 Robert McAfee)
“A” Bracket
8th place- Brooks DeBartolo Phoenix (#11 Kaelon Robinson)
7th place- Countryside Cougars (#23 Matthew Berry)
6th place- Superior Collegiate Legion (#13 Robert Hardy)
5th place- Orlando-Dr. Phillips Panthers (#10 Daniel Love)
4th place- Fletcher Senators (#25 Cameron Barnett)
3rd place- Berkmar Patriots (#1 Tony Johnson and #40 Tichic Fikipo)
Runner-up: Armwood Hawks (#5 Shahiid Newsome and #23 Ky’Llen Hymon)
Champion: Lakeland Dreadnaughts (#3 Dwayne McCalebb and #0 AJ Gant; MVP: #1 Luke Anderson)
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1: Nature Coast Tech won against Alonso High during the 5th Annual Christmas Basketball Tourney Friday Night. Photo by Alice Mary Herden
2: Sharks Senior Robert Mcafee was awarded MVP Honors during the 5th Annual Christmas Basketball Tourney Friday Night against Alonso scoring 32 pts. Photo by Alice Mary Herden
3: Lakeland’s Junior Luke Anderson was awarded MVP honors during the 5th Annual Christmas Basketball Tourney Friday Night against Armwood. Photo by Alice Mary Herden