Well, all of the Southwest Florida District Semifinals are in the book and the District Finals are all set. Below we will go through each district to highlight the semifinal winners and set up the final match-ups which will all take place this Saturday at 7 pm.
(1) Lakeland 62, (5) Plant City 46
- In a match-up of out of area teams, the lower seeded and over matched Plant City squad hung around with the Dreadnaughts for about a quarter but after that Lakeland established their dominance with their athleticism and size. The Dreadnaughts jumped out to a 10 point halftime lead, and then steadily increased in the second half, completely controlling the game from the second quarter and on to advance to the finals with the 62-46 win. They will face off against SWFL Hoops #1 ranked team and the third seeded Riverview Rams.
(3) Sarasota Riverview 69, (2) Tampa Durant 53
- Riverview lost their previous two meetings this season by just two points each time. Well, they were saving the best for last, as they used an efficiently dominant second half to turn the tides, pulling out the win in convincing fashion 69-53. When asked after the game what he thought was the major factor in two close games prequeling such a lopsided win Riverview head coach jokingly said, "I guess our guys just wanted them to think they could beat us." He was of course being sarcastic and admitted that Durant was a tough match-up, but his team did indeed save their best for last. "We just played a great second half. Barely any turnovers, guys knocked down shots, and our defense was great. Our guys just played our style the way it is supposed to be played and when we do that we are tough to beat." Senior guard Derek Robbins, who's average numbers for the year don't justify his all-around game on the court, scored a season high 25 points. Senior forward Matt Conway added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and senior guard John Bowers chipped in with 16. "Derek does not get a lot of credit for how good he is. Here's a kid who could score zero points, but still have a great game because he does so many other things so well like set up teammates, play defense, and rebound for a guard." Riverview (23-4) entered the half only up 3 points on Durant, but used a strong third quarter to pull away. In the fourth quarter, Riverview made 14 of 21 free throws to seal the win. With the win, the Rams secure a berth in the Regional Quarterfinals as both the winner and loser of the district final advance. However, they will look to secure some home court advantage priviledges if they can knock off top seeded Lakeland in Saturday's District Championship, because with a win Riverview would secure home court advantage as deep as the Regional Finals. So with that added incentive, don't expect anything less than the best from Riverview, maybe some more of that "best for last" mindset? Tip off is set for 7 pm at Durant High School.
(1) Fort Myers 59, (4) Barron Collier 56 (OT)
- Barron Collier had it. Barron Collier let it slip away. Well, retract that. Fort Myer's sophomore guard Evin Graham took it away. In a game that saw the Barron Collier Cougars control the first 3 quarters of what everyone expected going in to be a great match-up, it was the play of Graham in the fourth quarter that erased a 9 point Cougar lead entering the final quarter of regulation. Up until that point the story had been Collier senior guard Brian Landers, who scored 18 points through three quarters of play, including 11 in the first quarter alone, and had already knocked down 4 from long-range, as his team entered the fourth quarter ahead 43-34 and in control. Fort Myers looked frustrated offensively, largely in part due to the token pressure of a little of their own medicine. "I saw in the last game they gave us trouble with their 2-2-1 press," said Collier head coach Carlos Clark after the loss. "So I decided to use it as well just to slow them down a bit and maybe give them a little more trouble getting into their offensive sets." That combined with solid half court defense had worked so far, as Fort Myers was unable to get much penetration or anything easy going to the basket. But in the fourth, well, the young Graham got a little bit older. With the ball in his hands, he refused to be denied access to the hoop, and decided to stop allowing his squad to settle for outside jumpers. He started the quarter on a personal 10-4 run, cutting the lead to 47-44 with just 2:58 remaining in the game. Then with 1:12 left on the clock, Graham pulled in an offensive rebound in front of Collier big man Jason Humphrey, went back up strong, and tied the game with the layup at 48 apiece. Then, on the ensuing inbound pass by Barron Collier, he turns and intercepts the pass and pulls it out allowing his team to call a timeout with 53.8 seconds remaining and set up a scenario to hold the ball for the final shot. With the clock ticking down under 10 seconds for the Wave, they were unable to get the ball into the hands of their playmaker and so sophomore Matt Yance drove to the hoop but couldn't finish. Collier senior guard Jesus Gonzalez got the rebound with 3 seconds left, dribbled down the court but his 25 footer over Graham at the buzzer was off the mark, ending regulation tied at 48-48. In overtime, after Gonzalez and Graham traded baskets to bring it to 50-50, both teams went scoreless for until with 2:13 remaining, Humphrey was called for his 5th foul as Wave junior wing Colin Henry drove to the basket. Henry made one of two free throws to break the tie, 51-50. Thanks to a bucket by Wave junior guard Buddy McClendon, who finished with 11 points, and a pair of free throws by Yance, the lead was increased to 55-50 with 57.7 seconds left in the game. Gonzalez then scored five straight on his own with a pair of free throws and then a three pointer with 30 seconds on the clock, cutting the lead back to 56-55. Henry would then go 2-4 from the foul line over the next 25.7 seconds sandwhiched around a missed three by Landers with 9 seconds remaining to put the score at 58-55, with 6.3 remaining and Cougar ball on the opposite baseline. The door had been left open. Collier brought it down, couldn't get a clean look, but Landers three point attempt with 3 seconds left over two defenders drew a late whistle and foul call, sending him to the line for three free throws. Problem here is, he had gone 0-3 so far in the game having to shoot the foul shots with his off hand due to a wrist injury suffered towards the end of the season. He chose to shoot these with his regular hand, but missed the first try. Setting up a made second attempt, and what would have to be an intentional miss with his team now down 58-56 with just 1.5 seconds left on the clock. He put it up, missed it, but was called for a lane violation because he stepped on the free throw line before the ball hit the rim. Graham would be fouled on the ensuing possession and made 1 of 2 free throws, bringing it to the final score of 59-56. Graham finished with game-high 24 points, including 12 of his team's 14 in the fourth, to go along with 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Henry finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals, and junior Tyler Manning added 7 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. For Barron Collier, Landers led the way with 22, including 5 from long-range despite the wrist injury. Gonzalez added 15, and Humphrey chipped in with 9. Fort Myers advances to the final to face Ida Baker, with the opportunity to win their fourth district title in a row, and second in a row for second year coach Scott Guttery. Tip off is set for 7 pm at Ida Baker HS.
(2) Ida Baker 50, (6) Gulf Coast 41
- Again, the night cap would be dominated by the lower seeded team. Baker started slow, thanks in part to solid defense and defensive rebounding limiting second chance opportunities by Gulf Coast. However, the Bulldogs did enough to just hang around through the first half, with Gulf Coast taking a 22-17 advantage into the halftime break. In the third quarter, Baker came out with a different look defensively, switching to a half court pressure zone defense with athletic and long senior forward John Skinner at the top which didn't allow the Sharks to get into their usual offensive sets comfortably, and made any points by Gulf Coast hard to come by and caused a few turnovers which led to easy buckets for Baker. The result, a 10-5 advantage through the first 6 minutes of the third, and bringing the score to 27 apiece. But Gulf Coast senior guard Matt Gonzalez outscored the Bulldogs 4-2 the last couple minutes sending the game into the fourth quarter with his team clinging to a 31-29 lead. Through exactly the first four minutes of the final stanza, the teams would go back and forth, with Baker senior guard Xavier Battle tying the game with his third three pointer of the night at 37-37 with 4:00 remaining. But that would just what Baker needed to get them and the crowd going. With 3:24 left, Skinner took a pass from Rob Serrano and his layup gave Baker their first lead of the game and they would not look back. With 1:48 remaining, Skinner stole the ball, pushed it down the court and threw down an uncontested dunk that brought the crowd to its feet once more. Baker would make 7 of 12 free throws down the stretch and continue to make life tough on the Gulf Coast offense, and finished the game on a 16-4 run overall. For Baker, senior guard Gabe Rodriguez finished with a game-high 15 points. Skinner added 9 to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds. Battle scored 11 including those 3 treys, and senior Ron Ward chipped in 8 points and 8 rebounds of his own. Gulf Coast was led by Gonzalez with 13, and fellow senior guard Mike McGahey added 11. Baker advances to the district championship for the first time in school history and in turn also advances to the Regionals for the first time in school history. They will take on top seeded Fort Myers at 7 pm. In the two meetings between the teams this year, Fort Myers has won both, 65-57 at Fort Myers and 71-59 at Baker.
(2) North Port 74, (6) Lakewood Ranch 31
- Lakewood Ranch, coming off their big upset over 3rd seeded Manatee just two nights prior, kept North Port from pulling away too much through the first half. However, with North Port ahead 35-24 just about a minute into the third quarter, the Bobcats proceeded to reel off 21 straight points without a point in return by the Mustangs over the next 8 minutes. The next time Lakewood Ranch found their way on the scoreboard the lead was 56-26 and well out of reach. North Port was led by their usual assassin, senior Shaun Noriega, who scored 24 points including 3 from long-range and 9 for 10 from the foul line. He was helped out by fellow senior guard Teddy Cannon, who added 11 of his own. Lakewood Ranch was led by Cole Zigich with 8 points and senior forward Nick Diaz added 6 while battling through being severely under the weather for the second game in a row. North Port heads to the District title game to face top seeded Venice at 7 pm on Saturday at Southeast High School.
(1) Venice 57, (4) Charlotte 48
- They split the season series. Well this time Venice junior guard Justin Grant wasn't going to allow there to be a let down by his Indian squad as they avenged their lone regular season district loss by defeating the Tarpons 57-48 behind Grant's 21 points, including 7 of 9 from the field and 6 for 6 from the foul line. It seemed that for every push the Tarpon's tried to make, Grant was going to push back harder as if playing chess. For every pawn Charlotte moved ahead a spot, Grant would score a bucket or make a play to knock that pawn right over. Venice led 28-15 at the half, and then the Indians bumped up their advantage to 42-27 entering the fourth quarter behind the tight defense in the half court making sure to keep the ball out of the paint and not allowing anything easy in general for the Tarpons. However, Charlotte (13-13) would not go away that easy. The two-time defending district champs used a full court press to jumpstart their offense and limit the Indians scoring, and put together a 19-9 run over the first six minutes of the final period. They would cut the lead to as low as four points on a couple different occasions but some missed opportunities from long-range, two key free throws by senior guard Kyle Jutras, and a layup by Anthony Hackett with about 40 seconds left pushed the lead back up to 55-47 and that was all she wrote for the chances of a three peat. It also means that the Indians will reach the district final for the second year in a row under head coach Steve Cavallaro after not reaching the final in any of the years under the previous head coach's longer reign. Charlotte was led by junior forward Nick Goshay with 15, including 8 in the fourth quarter comeback, and sophomore Alex Mut added 14, with six of his also coming in the final period. Venice (24-3) shot 20 for 25 from the free throw line for the game, which has been a cog in their success all season long. Venice will take on North Port at 7 pm Saturday evening at Southeast High School
(1) Golden Gate 63, (4) Naples 62
- The fourth seeded Naples Golden Eagles came in knowing they could play with top seeded Golden Gate, after all, they beat them 52-50 just about a month ago. So it wasn't necessarily a surprise to see Naples come out confident, as they jumped out to a 16-9 advantage early in the second quarter. However, Golden Gate has been playing well lately and were not about to roll over. The Titans fought back and eventually took a 28-25 lead into the halftime break. In the second half, it was the shot making of Golden Gate that kept making it impossible for Naples to get back an advantage. "You have to give the Golden Gate kids credit, when we pushed, they answered right back," said Naples head coach Brian Bruce after the game. "It was really tough on our kids, but they battled to the very end." The Naples pushing was led by junior guard Jordan Leach, who finished with 28 points, but it just wasn't enough. In the end, despite allowing Naples to hang around by going 10-25 from the free throw line in the second half, Titan senior guard Yusel Cardentey and sophomore wing Jarvis Davis made a few free throw when it really mattered to seal the victory 63-62. For Naples, Juno Prudhomm added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Cardentey finished with a team-high 18 points, and junior guard Devin Woods added 13 for the Titans. Golden Gate advances to the district championship game which eluded them last season, to face Naples Lely. Tip off is set for 7 pm at Golden Gate High School.
(2) Lely 46, (3) Palmetto Ridge 45
- In a hard fought game, Lely senior forward Parker Ayers took a lob pass with just under 3 seconds remaining and scored the short go ahead basket, and sending the Trojans back to the District Championship and eliminating the defending district champ Palmetto Ridge. "I felt like our guy had good position on that last play, but he's only 6'0 or 6'1 and Ayers is 6'6. He just went up and got it and there was nothing our guy could do," said Palmetto Ridge head coach Joe Rader after the game. "I couldn't be prouder of this group though, they put forth so much effort both on the court and in the classroom." Lely was led by Zach Hornsby who had 19 for the game, and Ayers added 12. Palmetto Ridge was led by senior Tyler Terrell and Peter Falisi who both had 12, and senior guard Danilo Rupena added 9. Lely advances to face top seeded Golden Gate in the final on Saturday set to tip off at 7 pm.
(3) Clewiston 76, (2) South Ft Myers 56
- Clewiston junior guards Hurley Johnson and Demetris Allen combined to score 59 points, 3 more than the total points scored by South Fort Myers, as the Tigers (19-4) advanced to the District Championship to face Riverdale to take place on Saturday at 7 pm at LaBelle High School.
(5) Riverdale 51, (1) Lemon Bay 42
- After barely sneaking by with an overtime victory in the quarterfinals, Riverdale road the coat tails of junior guard Mike Johnston, who poured in an impressive 25 points to top all scorers, as the 5th seeded Riverdale Cowboys upset top seeded Lemon Bay to advance to the District Championship where they will face Clewiston. Tip off is set for 7 pm at LaBelle High School.
(2) Sebring 81, (7) Hardee 69
- The young Hardee squad did their best to hang with another top district seed for the second time in as many games, but in the end, the uptempo and athletic style of play was just too much as Sebring advanced to the district final for the second year in a row with a 81-69 win over the Wildcats. Sebring will face off against top seeded Palmetto on Saturday evening at 7 pm at Desoto High School.
(1) Palmetto 48, (5) Braden River 38
- Braden River ran into what Palmetto opponents have dealt with all year long. Mind you, Braden River knew all about it, but when you are hanging around, only down by 6 in the second half, thinking your doing ok, and then all of a sudden a couple threes go up and now your down by double digits. Add to that, that Braden River surrendered almost 20 offensive rebounds and only shot 3-16 from long range, and it is going to be tough to pull a 5 versus 1 upset. Palmetto was led by Reggie Baity and Trevante Rhodes who each had 12, and Ryan Huggines chipped in 10. Quintin Jones paced Braden River with 11 points and 8 rebounds and Brad Jackson added 9. Palmetto moves on to face Sebring in the final at 7 pm Saturday at Desoto HS.
(2) Bishop Verot 60, (3) Cardinal Mooney 39
- The biggest story to come out of this game may be the outlook for the next one. Bishop Verot took care of business against Cardinal Monney beating them by 20 or more points for the third time this season, but it was the potential roster issues the Vikings may have heading into the championship against idle Dunbar on Saturday that is the real story. The Vikings have been hit by the all familiar cold/flu bug that seems to go around every year about this time, but it has limited their practice time and depth considerably over the last couple of weeks. "We have't had anything more than a walk-through or shoot around in two weeks," said Verot head coach Matt Herting after the game. "Nate (Howard) and Bob (Jackson) are still out sick, and Jesse (Kane) and Jacquard (Hagan) were out last week from school. Yesterday (Thursday), we only had 6 players in school. It is going to be tough tomorrow." Well, seniors Brennen Melvin and Etienne Effenberg were alive and well on Friday night against Mooney and they carried the walking quarantined to the win. Effenberg finished with 21 points, and Melvin scored a triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Senior guard Jesse Kane and junior guard Jacquard Haga, each chipped in with 10. The Vikings will no doubt tough it out and be ready for their usual District Championship opponent Dunbar, who will host the final game due to Cardinal Mooney not wanting to host if they did not advance, and all the teams agreed it would be best. The tip off is set for 7 pm at Dunbar High School, and if your smart you might bring your handkerchief and some cough medicine just in case.
(2) Seacrest Country Day 69, (3) Evangelical Christian School 51
- This game simply comes down to the second half explosion by first time Regional qualifier Seacrest Country Day. Down 11 at the half to the Sentinels and Liberty signee, 6'11 senior Joel Vander Pol, Seacrest went off in the second half and outscored Evangelical 43-18 over the final two periods. With the scored tied at 44 about half way through the fourth quarter, Seacrest knocked down three consecutive three point baskets and jumped out to a 55-44 lead within a matter of a couple minutes. They went on to outscore the Sentinels 29 to 9 in the final frame. Junior guard Brunes Charles led the way as usual for Seacrest, despite battling the flu bug, scoring a game-high 24 points, including 14 for 18 from the foul line. Fellow junior Bond Roth pitched in with 17 of his own. For ECS, Vander Pol led the way with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 blocks. Senior guard Lane Joslin added 11 and freshman Eain Mosley chipped in with 10. Seacrest advances to the District Championship for the first time in school history and will take on top seeded Community School of Naples who has already beaten them by double digits twice this season. Hopefully for the Stingrays, third time will be a charm. Tip off is set for 7 pm.
(1) Community School 68, (5) St. John Neumann 39
- The Seahawks took care of business in convincing fashion, using a 27-2 run to start the second half, and advanced to the district title once again, defeating host St John Neumann 68-39. One thing to note though, this will be the first trip to the District title game under first year head coach Greg Donahue, after taking over for Bill Carufe this past offseason, whom remains as the school's athletic Director. Community School was led by ultra talented, and SWFL Hoops #1 rated junior, guard Mitch Woods who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Senior guard Max McCabe added 14 points and 5 rebounds of his own, and Zach Allen chipped in with team-high 12 rebounds. For Neumann, Will Affleck led the way with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Seahawks advance to take on second seeded Seacrest Country Day in the district finale. Tip off is set for 7 pm at St John Neumann
(2) Bradenton Christian School 64, (3) Out-of-Door Academy 54
- This one wasn't supposed to be close right? Well, Out-of-Door Academy proved once again that in districts everyone comes to play no matter what the background or history of the match-ups. Matter of fact, they came to win, and being up 33-25 at the half, it looked like they had a real shot. However, Bradenton Christian went back to its bread and butter as a smaller and quicker team and turned up the pressure defensively with a full-court press coming out in the third quarter, and the strategy saved their season as they outscored ODA 39-21 in the final two periods to advance to the finals to face Sarasota Christian on Saturday at 7 pm. BCS was led by sophomore Daniel Magley with 14, senior guard JoJo Wood added 13, and senior forward Spence Purnell chipped in 11. ODA was led by forward Jamie Onufrak who scored a game-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Nathan Kalin added 13 points and 11 rebounds of his own in the loss. BCS and Sarasota Christian split their two matchups this season, with SCS winning the latter of the two, and by double digits, where as Bradenton Christian's win came on a buzzer beater giving them a 59-57 win. However, the Panthers smaller victory was in SCS home gymnasium, which is where the final is set to be held.
SWFL District Semifinals Roundup
Friday, February 13, 2009
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