Fort Myers vs Oak Ridge (Orlando)
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010, 3:30 PM
Location: The Lakeland Center (Get driving directions on right of this page)
Fort Myers Green Wave
- Record: 27-5 (District 4A-11 Champions, Region 3 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
- Regional Finals: Defeated St Pete Lakewood on the road 79-65
- State Semifinals: Defeated Rutherford 63-25
Oak Ridge Pioneers
- Record: 23-8 (District 4A-2 Runner-Up, Region 1 Champions)
- Head Coach: Derek Heard
- Rankings: Unranked
- Key Players: Cady Lalanne, F, 6'9, Sr (20.6 ppg, 12.8 rpg); O'Neil Lubin, G, 6'2, Sr (13.5 ppg, 9 rpg); Antonio Ansley, G, 6'1, Sr (13.5 ppg, 9 rpg); Corey Billingslea, F, 6'7, Sr (4.1 ppg, 5.7)
- Regional Quarterfinals: Defeated Tampa Jesuit at home 51-29
- Regional Semifinals: Defeated Tampa Blake on the road 79-66
- Regional Finals: Defeated Creekside (St Johns) on the road 55-49
- State Semifinals: Defeated Cardinal Gibbons 56-46
Preview:
- Fort Myers and Oak Ridge will no doubt be a better game than the one the Green Wave were a part of in the Semifinals against Rutherford. Rutherford was not ready for the relentless team rebounding or the length and pressure of the Wave and so the game was pretty much over before it began. On the flip side, Oak Ridge and Cardinal Gibbons went back and forth throughout their semifinal matchup, but hit 10 out of 10 from the foul stripe in the last 2 minutes to seal a 56-46 win. Oak Ridge is bigger, and overall better from top to bottom than Rutherford, and are led by 6'9 University of Georgia signee Cady Lalanne. Lalanne is an agile forward with good athleticism that will look to use his size advantage against the Wave. However, Fort Myers does a very good job of playing team defense and making it very difficult for opposing big guys to get comfortable in the paint. Out top the Pioneers are led by a pair of quick senior scoring guards in O'Neil Lubin and Antonio Ansley. Ansley had 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting from deep in the semifinal win over Cardinal Gibbons. Lubin looks to be more of a creator and distributor, but can score just as well as Ansley when needed. Fort Myers will rely on their balance offensively, as any of their 5 starters can go for double figures on any given night. In the semifinal it was junior Evin Graham who got it going early, but his teammates were right behind him and every one of their top 7 guys in rotation can also rebound, defend, and plays hard the whole game. A lot of credit needs to go to Fort Myers' head coach Scott Guttery, who has done a great job of getting his players to buy into a system that puts the program before the individual. As their motto goes...."We Over Me." In the end, this game should come down to who can establish themselves early, and get control of the game with their respective style. Oak Ridge wants to pump it into Lalanne inside, whereas Fort Myers wants to get turnovers and easy buckets in transition throughout. The Oak Ridge guards will need to take care of the ball, and Lalanne will have to really show his presence on the boards. Fort Myers will need to keep Lalanne off the glass, and they will most likely look to pull Lalanne away from the basket when he's on defense. They used that strategy against Fab Melo when they defeated Sagemont and may look to try it again. This should be a good game, but our guess is that Fort Myers wins the first state title in Lee County boys basketball history.
Prediction:
- Fort Myers (+4)
Site-specific editorial/photos ©2008 SWFL Hoops, Inc. All rights reserved. This website is an unofficial and independently operated source of news and information not affiliated with any school or team. Terms and Conditions Myspace Facebook YouTube Advertise with Us Contact Us About Us
FHSAA State Brackets
 | ||||
2010 4A State Final Preview
Regional Finals Previews
