EAGLES SET UP COLUMBUS REMATCH

Southwest hit 19 of 22 free throw attempts to hold off a scrappy Ferguson team, 53-49. The victory is the fifth in a row for the host Eagles (10-2, 8-1) and sets up a Tuesday rematch with Columbus, the only team unbeaten in district play. The Explorers scored a controversial, officiating-aided, two-point win over Southwest before the holidays. The Falcons (3-9, 2-6) gave the Eagles a scare before a 12-0 run midway through the third quarter gave Southwest a 35-25 lead. Ferguson pulled within 2 points with just over two minutes remaining in the game when Ray Lleonart was mugged (of course no foul was called) and the turnover led to a Falcons basket. The Eagles responded with a great possession in which, despite defensive pressure, they ran 46 seconds off the clock, culminating with an Oscar Blanco layup with 1:22 on the clock that gave Southwest a 48-44 lead. Ferguson missed a shot 13 seconds later and, forced to foul, sent Michael Juachon to the line with 0:59 remaining. Juachon calmly sank both free throws, his eighth and ninth of the evening. Lleonart hit two more free throws 13 seconds later to put the icing on the cake. The Falcons scored 5 points in the last 12 seconds to make the final margin respectable. Juachon led the Eagles with 5 steals and 3 assists and Leo Torres added 6 rebounds.
The scoring:
Michael Juachon 15
Gio Gonzalez 11
Leo Torres 10
Oscar Blanco 7
Alex Mola 5
Ray Lleonart 5

GIO GONZALEZ RANKED 7th IN SCORING

The Miami Herald publlished its first statistics of the season Tuesday and Southwest's Gio Gonzalez is the seventh leading scorer in the county, averaging 17.3 points per game.