It was not an easy day for Osceola High.
The Kissimmee, Florida defending Class 9A state champions arrived in the wee hours to the New Orleans area and played without six-foot-nine junior Omar Payne, who missed the contest for disciplinary reasons against West Jefferson in the opening round of the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic.
For three quarters, the underdog Buccaneers took the fight to the taller Kowboys, the second-seed in the event. When it mattered most, Osceola turned up the heat, controlled the fourth quarter and defeated the stubborn Bucs 65-57 at the Alario Center Wednesday evening.
