By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

For the second straight year, Coach Steve Mason’s Osceola Kowboys collected three victories against strong competition at the Great Florida Shootout at the Silver Spurs Arena.

The Kowboys, who finished third at the 2009 Shootout, won the consolation championship Thursday, 69-65, over Lexington, S.C. High, a state runner-up last season.

After a 68-63 first-round loss to Shootout champion Bishop McNamara of Maryland Monday, the Kowboys reeled off consecutive wins over Fort Myers Bishop Verot, Oviedo and Lexington.

Bishop McNamara (11-1) beat Lake Highland Prep, 59-50, Thursday to claim the 30^th Shootout championship. Tournament MVP Marcus Thornton led the winners with 19 points.

Galveston, Texas Ball High defeated Melbourne Holy Trinity, 78-51, for third place and Dr. Phillips beat Hoover, Calif. for fifth-place, 65-51.

Mason said the Kowboys, 9-4, should benefit from this tournament performance the way they did last season, when OHS won the district championship.

“We knew at the start of the season that it might be ugly, and it was, we started 1-3. But I knew the competition was going to help us,” he said. “Everything we do is to prepare us to make the playoffs. That is the standard here. Our season isn’t a success unless we make the playoffs.”

Down 32-26 at the half, the Kowboys won it in the fourth quarter, outscoring Lexington 20-12. Blowing fourth-quarter leads was a problem for OHS coming into the tournament, but the Kowboys came from behind in all three of their Shootout wins.

OHS was led by guards Michael Sanchez (27 points) and Jedarian Jackson (24). Sanchez, an all-tournament selection, averaged 23 points over four tournament games and Jackson averaged 20.

Each of the four teams that beat Osceola is ranked in its respective state poll, Mason said.

The Kowboys coach lamented the first-round loss to Bishop McNamara, a game that OHS led early in the fourth quarter.

“Yeah, we could have won it (the Shootout championship),” he said. “But, I think we accomplished a lot. The guys are learning that they can play tough and win games in the fourth quarter.”

Poinciana also had a successful day at the Shootout Thursday by beating defending Class 4A state champion Fort Myers in a consolation game. The Eagles, 10-3, lost to Hoover, Calif., one of the pre-tournament favorites, and Lexington during the first two days of the Shootout.

The Eagles took control in the second quarter of Thursday’s game, building a 47-32 halftime lead.

Stefan Moody (24) led a balanced Eagles offense that also got double-figure scoring from Lex Curry (14), Osanto Marc (13) and Sherwood Vinson (11).

In what should be one of the most entertaining games of the regular season, Poinciana will visit OHS Friday at 7:30 p.m. for an Orange Belt Conference contest.