Blake boys fall to Miami Norland in Class 5A state championship game

LAKELAND — For the first time since the school reopened in 1997, Blake High on Friday night played in a state basketball championship game.

The Yellow Jackets felt good about their chances as they ran onto the RP Funding Center floor with a couple thousand fans cheering, a 26-5 record and a strong lineup: Joshua Lewis, Joe Philon, Rashif Sinkfield, Kentrell Martin, Malik Brady-Ayers and Shamar Council.

Early on, it looked like it just might be their night. They led Miami Norland by eight points late in the first quarter and held a three-point advantage at halftime.

But third-quarter foul trouble proved too much to overcome, ultimately resulting in a painful 61-48 loss in the Class 5A final.

After the final buzzer, Blake coach Fred Lewis stood with his son, Joshua, near center court as Norland (21-10) celebrated behind them.

He couldn’t have been much more matter-of-fact.

“I feel really bad for the boys, because we worked so hard to get here and it really hurts for it to end this way,” Fred Lewis said. “I thought the referees didn’t let us play our type of game (Friday). I thought the calls were inconsistent. We were in so much foul trouble, and we couldn’t afford to be in foul trouble.”

Most notable were the calls on Joshua Lewis, a 6-foot-7 junior guard and major-college recruit. He picked up his third foul in the second quarter and his fourth in the third before fouling out with six minutes remaining.

With Lewis on the bench — along with Council, who also fouled out, and frequently joined by Philon and Sinkfield, who each had four — Norland outscored Blake 39-23 in the second half, including 17-5 in the pivotal third quarter.

“It was tough to sit on the bench and not be able to help,” said Lewis, who finished with 12 points, almost five below his game average. “But we can’t make any excuses. Now we have to prepare harder and get back here. We know we can.”

They’re certainly positioned well. With the exception of senior Brady-Ayers, the Yellow Jackets return their entire roster.

“We knew coming into this game that we would have everybody back for next year, but we really, really wanted to get it done (Friday),” Joshua Lewis said. “Now we want to take advantage of this experience. I feel we are more motivated than ever. We’ll be back on Monday getting ready for next year.”