Karr clamps down on Osceola to advance to Sugar Bowl boys final

With the game on the line, outstanding players step up, when called upon.

For Karr, senior Marc Bowie was that man Friday night.

Bowie scored eight straight points for the Cougars in the fourth quarter as Karr held off Osceola High of Florida 49-47 in the semifinals of the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic at the Alario Center.

Bowie finished with 24 points and four assists.

“It feels going out executing, doing what coach told us to do,” Bowie said. “When you do what your are supposed to do and listen to your coach, you will come out victorious.”

Karr head coach Taurus Howard had nothing but praise for Bowie.

“Marc has been leading us the whole way,” Howard said. “He’s a real good slasher who gets to the goal well. He also played a big role on defense with his length, forcing tough passes and getting into their shooters.”

Karr jumped out to a 9-0 lead. Osceola did not score for the first 4:40 of the opening quarter but the Kowboys came roaring back, closing the quarter on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 9-8.

The Cougars went cold, not recording a field goal over a period of six minutes and 20 seconds as Osceola’s run continued in the second quarter, ending up as a 13-0 run before Karr righted the ship and pulled within a point at 18-17 by halftime. The Cougars committed 10 turnovers in the first half. Josh Marte led the Kowboys with seven points while Marc Bowie and Quindell Johnson had six points each for Karr.

“We came out fast in the beginning of the game but we got away from doing what we do best,” Bowie said. “That’s what coach told us. Coach texted me last n ight and told me to come out and be big.

The Cougars dominated the third quarter, opening the frame on a 7-2 run and closing it on a 6-0 run to take a 34-25 lead. Bowie had eight points in the quarter for Karr.

In the final quarter, Osceola closed to within a point at 48-47 on a long 3-pointer by Josh Marte but Myron Green split a pair of free throws for Karr. A half court shot at the buzzer by Marte was well off the mark, giving Karr the big win.

Quindell Johnson had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists while De’Antray Hughes finished with nine points and six rebounds for the Cougars. Marte led the Kowboys (13-3) with 16 points and nine rebounds while Isaiah Palermo and Jeremiah Palermo each had nine points for Osceola.

“We did a good job of being mentally tough throughout the course of the game,” Howard said. “We had some minor lapses when we were a little fatigued. We did a really good job of getting to their shooters because we knew they shot the ball very well. The zone kind of kept them off balance so we stayed in it the whole time.”

Karr advances to the championship game to take on unbeaten Riverside Academy. The Rebels outlasted Lincoln, New York 75-70 in double overtime.

“Riverside is a great program,” Bowie said. “We are looking forward to going out and playing against them.”

Howard knows it will be tough against the Rebels.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge because they’ve got shooters all over the floor,” Howard said. “We’re going to try to stay in our zone as long as we can but they are going to force us to go a little man so as long as we stay in front of them, hopefully they have an off night so we have a chance.”

Final
Karr 9 8 17 13 47
Osceola 8 10 7 19 44

Scoring
Karr—Marc Bowie 24, Quindell Johnson 11, De’Antray Hughes 9, Myron Green 3, Skylar Perry 2

Osceola—Josh Marte 16, Isaiah Palermo 9, Jeremiah Palermo 9, Jadukkiss Soto 5, Armani Thomas 4, Quest McRimmon 2, Darian Espinal 2