Tampa - The Florida Air Academy boys basketball team finished the third quarter on an 18-1 run, sending them to the Class 3A, Region 4 final with a 67-57 victory over Tampa Berkeley Prep on Tuesday night.

That run enabled the Falcons (23-4) to erase a 40-34 deficit and take a 52-41 lead into the final period.

"I think we realized we were in a fight," Florida Air head coach Aubin Goporo said. "We started to play late."

Berkeley Prep (22-7) didn't back down from the vaunted Falcons through the first 16 minutes, forging a 30-30 halftime tie on Archie Barnes' baseline jumper and two free throws by Johnathan Gray in the final 12 seconds of the first half.

But Prep's 10-4 run to open the third quarter served as a wake-up call for the Falcons. Guard Ben Eblen started the run with a layup, and Rihards Kuksiks hit a 3-pointer from the wing. After a Berkeley Prep free throw, Falcons forward Gilberto Clavell drove the lane for a layup. That was the start of a 13-0 run, the Falcons scoring on each of six straight possessions.

Berkeley Prep, meanwhile, went ice cold from the field, missing its final five shots from the field in the period and failing to score until 4:41 remained in the final period. Barnes' three-point play stemming the tide and pulling the Bucs within 53-44.

"We just played much harder defense than in the first half," said Kuksiks, who led Florida Air with 27 points. "We didn't want to lose this game."

The Falcons didn't - despite another set of numbers Goporo probably wants to forget. Florida Air made just 11 of 31 free throws, including 6 of 21 in the fourth quarter, enabling Berkeley Prep to remain within striking distance.

"There's nothing else we can do, just get in the gym and shoot more free throws," an exasperated Goporo said of his team's charity stripe woes.

Any thoughts Berkeley Prep had of stealing the win were put to rest when Eblen, with his team gingerly clinging to a 62-57 lead, stole a pass at half court and raced in for a slam with 12.3 seconds left. Eblen (16 points) then victimized the Bucs with another steal in the backcourt, leading to a Ulises Maldonado free throw. Kuksiks put the finishing touches on the win with a short jumper from the land in the final seconds.

"We had a hard time putting the ball into the basket during that stretch," said Berkeley Prep coach Bobby Reinhart. "Then they gave us opportunities with those missed free throws, but we didn't capitalize. They have a very good basketball team, they spread the floor well, and they did a good job of playing with the head."

Goporo cited a defensive switch that put Jonathan Frazier on Berkeley Prep's Austin Suarez in the second half. Suarez, who had eight first-half points, was held to seven in the second half despite the Bucs' attempt to free the sharpshooter behind the 3-point line.

Goporo also noted three of his players - Maldonado, Clavell, and Jerome Burgos - played most of the final period with four fouls each.

"We were in foul trouble (early), and we had some players on the court who were not used to playing all those minutes," he said.