Thanks to Emilee Shea for providing the pictures. Most games don’t really last 48 minutes; this one did.  PB Gardens goalie Armande Cocuzza needed to make a save right on the goal line with one second left to play to preserve his team’s hard fought 11-10 win over visiting Oxbridge Academy on Friday night before a good-sized crowd. Gardens was led by Stephan Smith and Trevor Keena, who combined for 9 of the 11 goals, as they were able to exploit their scoring chances. Oxbridge was led by Robert Bayless and Tyler Jerd, who combined for 6 of Oxbridge’s 10 goals.  The game was a back and forth affair, with PBG chasing Oxbridge for the first three quarters before finally taking their first lead in the fourth.  That lead didn’t last long as Oxbridge again took the lead before PBG was able to score the final two goals to win the game. Just like in my Pine Crest-Cypress Bay review this game gave me a chance to see some more players that are excellent players but are not household names in the lacrosse media.  Smith, Keena, Bayless, Jerd.  Add in Zach Ranta, the Hayek Brothers, Matt Morris and both goalies, Cocuzza and Ethan Randell, who had a very good game.  PBG’s kids are more senior-laden and we will miss them on the local scene.  Oxbridge fielded a team that did not have one senior on it.  The team started 2 juniors, 5 sophomores and 3 freshmen; they will be around for awhile.  Look out next year South Florida. After watching PBG last night I came away impressed with how explosive their offense can be.  Their attack won the battle with the OA defense and it made the difference.  It wasn’t a huge difference, just a few plays at the margin that won the game.  Both teams also missed out on scoring more due to shot accuracy and the goalies making key stops at key times.  And a few missed passes late in the game that would have led to clear scoring chances.  Oxbridge’s youth is both a blessing and a curse at times and the typical growing pains of youth were seen on both sides of that equation.  But they shouldn’t stay down for long.  It’s a very fine line between winning and losing in this, of all seasons, as so many games have shown.  OA is right on the cusp of a major breakthrough and when they learn to finish they will be a force.  This was a game where senior leadership on PBG made the difference in the end.  PBG’s seniors were able to break down their defenders and that made up for OA’s more possession and motion oriented-attack.     One thing to keep an eye on is that PBG will face Jupiter in a first-round District match-up.  They met a few days ago and Jupiter won the game comfortably.  If I’m Coach Loftus I’m not sleeping easily on this one . . . Oxbridge is the favorite to come out of District 21 and has a favorable match-up with District 22, which is down this year.  A final 16 playoff spot is very much within their reach this year. The game started out with Oxbridge jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead three minutes into the game.  Bayless opened the scoring at 9:52 unassisted, as he curled from behind the right side of the net and fired in a left-handed, low shot.  Jerd scored 50 seconds later, from Bayless, on the EMO.  Jerd took Bayless’ feed from top right on the lower right wing and placed it short-side high with the left hand.  PBG responded with two of their own within 2 minutes to knot it at 2.  Dalton Anderson started it at 5:54, taking a Matt Morris lengthy diagonal pass on the left side of the lower wing to make it 2-1.  Smith then tied it at 4:13, unassisted, finishing a left-side curl from behind with a jump shot high to the short side.  Oxbridge responded with two of their own within a minute.  At 2:34 Barry Kilian took a right wing feed from Zach Ranta and fired lefty into the upper short side corner and at 1:39 Skyler Saffer scored unassisted after a lengthy run behind the cage, curling out the right side before also finding the high, short side for 4-2. But PBG was able to respond with 57 seconds as Smith curled out from left goal line extended, placing a right-hand shot low to the short side and the quarter ended at 4-3. The second started with OA again regaining the 2-goal margin just 44 seconds into the period.  Bayless scored unassisted on a pretty spin move to his left and he found the net from about 8 yards out.  Smith again responded unassisted, at 9:24, off a face dodge to the left crease area, as he shot right-handed to the low right side of the net.  OA then opened up a 3-goal lead with two of their own.  At 6:23 Bayless scored his 3rd, unassisted, as he dodged from the right wing to the middle before firing a bullet to the top left side.  That was followed up at 3:22 as Jerd scored on the EMO with a similar move as he spun to the middle from the right wing and finished high to the right corner, and it looked like Oxbridge was taking control of the game.     But PBG again showed resilience by scoring twice late in the period to draw back within 1 at halftime.  Trevor Keena and Patrick Shea teamed up twice to narrow the margin. The first, at 2:58, took advantage of an Oxbridge turnover on a clear, as Shea found Keena alone down the right wing for the first.  The second was a feed from the top into the middle of the defense and Keena was able to turn and get off a shot to the upper left corner and we went to halftime with OA holding a slim 7-6 lead. PBG tied the game early in the third as Smith scored another unassisted goal at 10:50, as he curled from behind left GLE and found net on the high, short-side.  Ranta regained the lead for Oxbridge at 8:42 with the goal of the game, as he fought his way through 3 defenders to get to the top of the crease and somehow got off an over the head shot with his back to goal to make it 8-7.  Zach Dees tied it again for PBG with 2:52 left, unassisted, as he took advantage of a fast break to wind up from about 10 yards out and beat Randell between the legs to send the game to the fourth at 8-8. PBG took their first lead of the game at 10:15 as Keena scored unassisted off another turnover, running down the middle and finding the cage left-handed on the lower left corner.  OA responded with two goals less than a minute and a half apart to regain the lead.  At 8:23, Liam Lisec scored unassisted, working out from left GLE and fading back, getting off the shot to the high, short side and that was followed at 7:04 when Jerd took Ranta’s middle feed from the upper right wing and found the lower left side with a bounce shot to make it 10-9. PBG responded at 5:48 on Keena’s fourth, as he set up a screen and fired from 10 yards out into the lower left side to set up the late stages.  Then PBG, following a time out, found Smith all the way out on the left side with a lengthy diagonal pass.  The defender committed to the ball and mistimed it, giving Smith a clean run at goal and he made no mistake, placing it low, right side, at 3:41 for the game winner.  The two teams traded a few possessions and Oxbridge had a few good opportunities to tie the game, finishing with the last second break that Cocuzza was able to smother right on the line to end this exciting game.   Team Statistics   Faceoffs:  Oxbridge 13-11 Shots:  PBG 42 – OA 37 Shots on Goal:  PBG 25 – OA 21 Turnovers:  OA 20 – PBG 13 Penalties:  PBG 6 – OA 2   Individual Statistics   PBG Stephan Smith  5G Trevor Keena  4G Dalton Anderson and Zach Dees  1G each Patrick Shea  2A Matt Morris  1A   OA Robert Bayless  3G/1A Tyler Jerd  3G Nick Ranta  1G/2A Barry Kilian, Skylar Saffer and Liam Lisec  1G each   Ethan Randell made 14 saves for Oxbridge and Armande Cocuzza made 11 saves for PBG PBG returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Jensen Beach while Oxbridge hosts Jupiter Christian on Tuesday. Normally I thank the coaches at this point in the article and wish them luck but I’d like to go further than that today.  The first time I corresponded with PBG Coach Gilken was because of a Palm Beach Post forum comment that I thought was unfair.  Programs like Palm Beach Gardens are not the feature sport at their school and they have to make due with the resources they have available.  Not every school is fortunate enough to be the focal point of a youth feeder program dedicated to that school and expectations need to be tempered.  Just because a school like PBG is not making Final Four appearances doesn’t mean the head coach is not doing a good job.  This year PBG is 8-4.  The four losses are to Jupiter, Saint Andrew’s, Benjamin and St. Edwards, with wins over Martin County and now Oxbridge, with Jensen Beach and South Fork of a very tough District 19 left to play.  A 9-5 record with this schedule is a DARN good season and the know-it-alls who try to insinuate otherwise on a newspaper forum are not worth listening to.  He has helped to develop a number of players that are making an impact this season and Coach Gilken is a lot better Coach than some anonymous poster thinks. Coach Ross and I have gotten to know each other pretty well lately because of the Florida Launch franchise.  After watching his team play last night we had a lengthy talk about it and I made a comment to him that in my opinion he was getting the maximum out of his team.  A team that I mentioned above was made up of 2 juniors, 5 sophomores and 3 freshmen starting.  That youth has produced an 11-3 record and a likely District championship in the near future.  That doesn’t happen by chance.  His kids will finally get over the hump against the better teams and then look out.  This team needs to remember that it is still a second-year program and that expectations are fine, but this is a process, not just a won-loss record.  And right now that process is heading in the right direction.  With a coach that really knows what he is doing. Thanks to the two teams for giving us a game so worthy of watching!