For one half of Thursday’s 7A-7 district championship game, the Plant City defense was in control.
In the second half, Strawberry Crest proved that defense doesn’t always win championships.
A third-quarter rally, capped off with an even stronger fourth-quarter push, allowed the Lady Chargers to edge out the Lady Raiders, 64-59, for the title.
Plant City held a 28-21 lead at halftime, although the game wasn’t as close as the score suggested. The Lady Raider defense smothered Crest at nearly every opportunity, fueled by Shayna Lawrence’s presence inside.
In the third quarter, Lawrence was benched after getting a technical foul. That’s when Crest’s offense woke up, scoring 12 points in three and a half minutes and eventually ending the quarter down by two points, trailing 43-41. Lawrence re-entered the game halfway through the final quarter, and the two teams traded leads throughout the final two minutes of play.
But, with 45 seconds on the clock, Crest pulled ahead for good with a layup. Terra Brooks got the ball back, scored a layup and drew a foul, but couldn’t convert at the line. Crest stole the ball with 11.2 seconds left, when Plant City sent Maiya Trigg to the foul line – which proved to be the dagger, as the senior guard drained both free throw attempts.