TROPICAL FARMS — Between final four basketball teams and state champions from wrestling and volleyball, the South Fork High School gym has been the home to dozens of winners.
And in the final game the gym will ever host, the Bulldogs' boys basketball team made sure the facility went out with a win.
South Fork never trailed during a 63-51 triumph over Lake Howell in a Region 2-6A tournament quarterfinal on Thursday night at South Fork High School.
Fans packed the house to watch the Bulldogs capture their 11th victory in their last 12 games. They stuck around well after the scoreboard hit triple zeros to not only congratulate the players but to take in one last bit of history.
"It's the last game in this gym, so we wanted to put on a show," South Fork senior forward Imarion Stanberry said. "My boys got my back and I got their back."
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The Bulldogs (21-5) are the No. 3 seed in the region while the Silver Hawks were seeded sixth. South Fork plays at 7 p.m. Tuesday at No. 2 Oviedo in a regional semifinal. With losses by Fort Pierce Central and Morningside Academy, South Fork is the last remaining area boys team still alive this postseason.
The hosts pulled away late in the second quarter and early in the third thanks to their calling card: defense. They held the visitors scoreless through 16 possessions during an eight-minute stretch in which the Bulldogs' lead increased from a 5-point cushion to 33-13.
South Fork forced four turnovers during the run, but the key, as always, was controlling the glass. Stanberry, along with fellow senior frontcourt players Loghan Downie and Justin Beall, crashed the boards and limited the Silver Hawks to just one shot per possession.
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Lake Howell scored only nine points combined in the second and third quarters against the Bulldogs' 2-3 zone after putting up 10 points in the first quarter.
"I heard people say that we're like piranha when the fish go in the water," South Fork head coach Brian Flynn said. "The activity, the length, but what was key tonight, and we talked about this in the pregame, was one shot only. (The Silver Hawks) had big, athletic kids, and in the film I watched, they get a lot of offensive rebounds. I told them, 'If they can knock down a couple of 3s and take it home, fine. But they are not beating us with second shots."
The road team did finally knock down shots over the final eight minutes, as the hosts struggled to secure rebounds, and according to Flynn, fatigue started to set in. Lake Howell poured in 32 fourth-quarter points on the heels of eight 3-pointers. However, the cushion never closed to single digits as Beall was massive in sealing the deal.
Open on the baseline off of double teams and ball pressure toward others, the 6-foot-5 senior scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth.
"We really just tried to keep our cool, stay calm, move the ball around and get some good looks," Beall said. "That's what we did, and I think we were pretty good at it."
Stanberry and Downie chipped in with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Here are three takeaways from South Fork's win.
Stanberry 'blacks out' and brings down the house
The first points of the night came off Stanberry's fingertips, as the senior had the feathery touch on a left-wing 3-pointer. But he did most of his damage in the paint on both sides of the floor.
Following a Bulldogs turnover, Stanberry sprinted from halfcourt and swatted a sure layup at the rim during the second quarter. Then, with the team in its delayed offense in the third, the 6-4 forward motored down the lane for a two-handed slam.
It was the first of three Stanberry dunks.
"We were running one of our plays and I just saw an open lane. I just blacked out and just dunked it," he said. "I didn't see anything in front of me."
Beall slows it down to bump up his scoring
Like Stanberry's thunderous dunk, every player had to go up strong inside with both sides protecting the basket. Several shots were denied at the rim, including a number of dunk attempts.
Beall initially struggled to get adjusted to the length. Turned away on a couple of occasions, the senior rushed his looks and was whistled for traveling three times.
With Lake Howell trapping and doubling late, the ball found Beall, who took his time before going up. That enabled him to go on an offensive explosion.
"I just tried to keep my composure," Beall said. "I got a great coaching staff that helped me keep my wit about me. And I just went out there and got some buckets."
'Jose is a pure shooter'
Senior guard Jose Lamas came off the bench and immediately knocked down a look from behind the arc to break a 10-10 tie. Two possessions later, off a pass from junior reserve Evan Burgk, Lamas nailed another 3-pointer, this time from the corner as part of an 8-0 run to close the first quarter.
The bench accounted for 8 points, with Burgk adding a basket in the fourth. But the contributions from that unit, particularly Lamas' outside shooting, had an impact.
"Jose is a pure shooter. We run a couple of things for him, he got open on them and he knocked them down," Flynn said. "That's why he's in there, and he does a great job on defense, too. He got us that lead."
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. Hecan be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
