The end of January means it’s the end of prep basketball’s regular season, and area fans have plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks.
The girls season ended this week, and district play is scheduled to start Monday, Jan. 25. The boys have around four games left to play, and their district tournament will begin at the start of February.
What do fans need to know heading into this February frenzy?
DURANT GIRLS
As of press time, the Durant Lady Cougars were nearly on top of the world.
Sporting a 13-3 (8-3 district) record, this Durant team has established itself as one of the teams to beat in the Tampa Bay area. The only knock on its season (besides getting swept by Strawberry Crest, as everyone else has) was a 48-42 home loss to district rival Tampa Bay Tech Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Led by Tamara Hanson’s 12 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, the Lady Cougars’ offense averages 44.7 points per game on 53% shooting. Durant generates pressure through its guard play, with Ashlyn Myers and Ally Louden combining for 6.6 of the team’s 12.2. steals per game.
Myers is also third on the team in scoring, with 10.8 points per game.
Louden’s 6.8 boards per game are good for second on the team.
Tying it all together is senior leader Tahira Rodriguez, who chips in nearly everywhere: she averages 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
Should this team get past Crest and Tech in districts, Durant fans have to like the ceiling for these girls.
PLANT CITY GIRLS
The Lady Raiders weren’t as successful as they were in the 2014-15 season, but it’s hard to fault them for that.
Despite a series of personnel changes that no team would ever want to be saddled with, Plant City was able to put together a season that makes the future look promising.
At one point, the Lady Raiders were looking at a 9-3 overall record (6-2 district). They had only lost to Durant (in a multiple-overtime thriller) and Strawberry Crest. Durant and Crest were opponents that lost only three games between them.
But, later in the season, the Lady Raiders started to slide: it lost five of its last six and saw its district record fall to 6-6 with losses to Crest, Durant, Tech and Bloomingdale.
Although Plant City has not regularly made stats available, it’s gotten good production from a young core. Junior guard Lacey Hargrove has been the team’s most valuable player, but freshman Constance Thomas has led the team in scoring. Sophomore Mackenzie Steele has stepped up in big moments, and Jordin Vance and Tyra Mack are developing into a solid frontcourt combination.
The Lady Raiders have proven that they can play well, but they’ll need to shake off the stigma of that late-season cold streak if they want to get anywhere in the district tournament.
STRAWBERRY CREST GIRLS
Much has been written about the Lady Chargers this season, and not much has changed: they’re still the favorites to win the district championship.
By excelling just about everywhere on the court, Crest has put together the best regular season in program history. With the exception of Palm Harbor University, no team has been able to slow the Lady Chargers.
There was a 12-day gap between Crest’s last two games and results from the Wednesday, Jan. 13, game at Hillsborough were not available at press time, but the final result won’t affect the Lady Chargers either way.
On Jan. 5, the last time the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches and Source Hoops chose its top 10 teams in the state, Crest was ranked seventh overall. It was also the only undefeated team both in the 7A rankings and in the “Honorable Mention” column, and it’s safe to say Crest’s standing should improve with the next wave of rankings.
One thing is for certain, heading into this tournament: Crest fans should expect big things from this squad.
DURANT BOYS
The Cougars are closing this season on a four-game road stretch, the first of which was held at Bloomingdale Wednesday, Jan. 13.
They entered that stretch on a hot streak, winning three close games in a row: Jan. 7 against King (66-63); Jan. 8 at Lennard (65-63); and Jan. 15 against Plant City (84-80). Should the team keep that momentum going, its sub-.500 record may not matter much in the district tournament.
Seniors Justin Hughes and Erick Hernandez have played well all season, with Hughes leading the team in rebounds (8.8), blocks (3.8) and steals (1.6) per game, and Hernandez’s 8.7 assists leading the way.
Junior Tyler White leads the team with 20.8 points per game, shooting 42% from the field (37% from three-point range). All three have been on their A-games lately, including White’s 34-point explosion against the Raiders.
PLANT CITY BOYS
Despite taking a loss to Durant, creating a three-game losing streak, the Raiders can still be a dangerous team.
Much of this comes from the contrasting styles of forwards Tarik McKelphin and Randall Haley in the frontcourt.
McKelphin can beat matchups with his notable athleticism, and the junior has been known to attempt several dunks and alley-oops per game.
Haley, meanwhile, uses his fundamentals and basketball IQ to his advantage in most matchups. They can also knock down threes with senior Josh Lawson, who shoots 39% from long range and averages 7.6 points per game.
Head coach William Teeden, in his first year with the Raiders, has improved the program in every way since the team went 2-14 (0-10 district) in the 2014-15 season. Plant City will play four more games before the district tournament, where it has potential to make an impact.
STRAWBERRY CREST BOYS
Unfortunately for Crest fans, the Chargers have had a down year.
The team held a 3-14 overall record (3-9 district) at press time and was mired in a six-game losing streak before the Jan. 20 game at Hillsborough. Crest did record an upset win over third-place Tampa Bay Tech: Omar Williams’ 17 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks led the team as it stunned Tech, 49-47, in Tampa.
Williams led the team in rebounds (9.9) and blocks (1.5) per game. Jordan White’s 16.7 points per game led the team, as did his 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Crest isn’t expected to make much noise in this year’s tournament, but they could be a team to watch in the future: all four of its freshmen played in at least 15 games this season, and Crest has just one sophomore and one junior on the roster to go with its five seniors.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.