Fort Myers @ St Pete Lakewood (Class 4A - Region 3)
Date: Saturday, February 27, 2010, 7:00 PM
Location: Eckerd College (Get driving directions on right of this page)
Fort Myers Green Wave
- Record: 24-5 (District 4A-11 Champions)
- Head Coach: Scott Guttery
- Rankings: #1 in SWFL by SWFL Hoops, #2 in 4A by Floridahoops.com, #1 in 4A by FSWA/FABC
- Key Players: G Evin Graham (6-foot-3, 170, Jr.); F Colin Henry (6-foot-4, 195, Sr.); G/F Matt Yance (6-foot-4, 185, Jr.); G Terran McClendon (6-foot, 165, Sr.); F/G Tyler Manning (6-foot-4, 170, Sr.)
- Regional Quarterfinals: Defeated Golden Gate at home 63-59
- Regional Semifinals: Defeated Naples at home 71-39
Lakewood Spartans
- Record: 22-7 (District 4A-10 Champions)
- Head Coach: Dan Wright
- Rankings: #9 in 4A by Floridahoops.com
- Key Players: G LaDarius Barnes (6-foot, Sr.); G Dominic Lane (6-foot-2, 195, Sr); G Mike Singleton (5-foot-11, 160, Jr.)
- Regional Quarterfinals: Defeated Tampa Jesuit at home 51-29
- Regional Semifinals: Defeated Tampa Blake on the road 79-66
Preview:
- The Fort Myers and Lakewood matchup has been the expected Regional Final pairing in most eyes all season long. Fort Myers comes in as the higher ranked team, #2 in 4A, and in a sense is #1, as previous #1 Miami Norland lost on Tuesday. Fort Myers bounced back from a small scare against Golden Gate to absolutely crush Naples in the Semifinals 71-39, thanks to a 15-0 run to start the game, never looking back. Green Wave junior wing Matt Yance scored a game-high 21 points in the win, including 15 of those coming in the big first quarter and hit 5 of 7 long range bombs on the night. Fellow junior Evin Graham was big was well, scoring 16 points, while adding 7 boards and 7 assists as well. Lakewood on the other hand had a slightly tougher opponent in the grand scheme of things in Tampa Blake, but also sent a message with a 79-66 win over a team that was 24-4 heading in. Senior guard LaDarius Barnes led the way for the Spartans, pouring in 39 points, including 16 in the second quarter when Lakewood made their big move to take control of the game. Barnes is a quick guard with a great ability to get into the lane, but can also knock down the open shot from the outside consistently. Senior wing Dominic Lane will move all over the court offensively and use his superior strength on to get involved routinely on the glass. Junior point guard Mike Singleton runs the show for the Spartans though, always looking to penetrate defenses and look for his teammates. Singleton can score as well though, as he put in 17 points in the win over Blake. Fort Myers and Lakewood should be one of the most intriguing matchups in the state on Saturday, and with a few other top dogs in 4A having already lost, the winner has a legitimate shot of taking the 4A crown when its all said and done.
Prediction:
- Fort Myers (+4)
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