By Dave Brousseau - BCAA Writer

CORAL SPRINGS – For the first half of basketball, Coral Springs performed as well as could be expected against a tough Pompano Beach Blanche Ely side.

Down by nine at the break, the Tigers were victims of the Colts’ seven 3-pointers, while searching for answers to alter the momentum.

The combination of Kaleb Corbitt and Justin Snell’s 22 second half points and Ely’s stubborn defense, the Tigers rallied for a 76-68 victory in a non-district game on Tuesday.

“We didn’t turn the ball over and let Springs get out in transition,” said Ely coach Henry McNabb, about the second half comeback. “Coach Barta does a tremendous job preparing his guys. We mishandled their ball pressure and just needed to take care of the basketball.”

Ely diminished the Coral Springs lead tying the score at 48-48 on a 3-pointer by Jaden McNabb. The teams went into the final quarter with the score tied at 54-54.

Corbitt and Snell combined for 16 of the Tigers 22 points in the final quarter.

The comeback was keyed by the Colts’ inability to convert on all 3-point attempts in the second half.

“We didn’t make any outside shots, and they made a very good adjustment at halftime,” said Coral Springs coach Devin Barta. “They went into a half-court trap and though we had some looks we didn’t the shots.

Corbitt finished with a team-high 22 points with 14 from Jaylon McNabb and 13 from Jaden McNabb.

Alex Pierre-Louis led Coral Springs with 23, 16 coming in the first half when the Colts (12-7) built a nine-point lead at the break.

Josh Pierre added 15 points, while Tavien Nielie and Janai Henry each finished with 10 points.

The Tigers (11-8) victory was a solid tune-up for the BCAA Big 8 Tournament next week at Fort Lauderdale High.

Dave Brousseau can be reached on X at @dbrouss76 – or via e-mail at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.