SOCCER
+ Lady Raiders win district crown
As many expected, Plant City High School just completed its first-ever district three-peat.
The first two rounds of the tournament were a breeze for the Lady Raiders, who outscored both opponents 12-0.
Ericka Lott registered a hat trick in the first round against Blake High School, and five of her teammates scored once. Goalkeeper Taylor Michael only faced two shots on goal, saving both.
King High School put up a little more of a fight against Plant City but lost, 4-0. Lott once again led the Lady Raiders in scoring, this time with two goals.
In the championship game, the Lady Raiders traveled to East Bay and got a bit of a challenge right off the bat. Michelle Rodriguez scored early for the Indians, catching the Lady Raiders by surprise, and the East Bay defense kept Plant City’s high-powered offense in check for much of the game. But, Lott and Stephanie Galloway turned the game around with a pair of goals, and the Lady Raider defense held on for the 2-1 win.
Regional quarterfinal action begins as Plant City hosts Seminole at 7 p.m. Jan. 23.
BASKETBALL
+ Lady Chargers obliterate Brandon
No, that’s not a typo on MaxPreps.com — we checked.
Strawberry Crest’s girls team really did beat Brandon, 75-1, on Friday night.
Leading 16-0 after the first quarter, the Lady Chargers really took off in the second quarter and hung 32 unanswered points on a reeling Lady Eagles squad. It was 64-0 going into the fourth quarter, and even the home crowd started supporting Brandon.
“They were just cheering for Brandon to make a basket,” boys coach Andre Lewis says.
That eventually happened, at the free throw line. But, obviously, the game was very much over by then.
Aliyah Gregory turned in a monster game, with 27 points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists, and got some big help from Terra Brooks (13 points, six boards), Ayanna Matthews (11 points, five steals) and Nandi Jorden (10 points, five steals, three blocks).
The win signaled the end of Crest’s district play for the regular season, which gives the girls a sterling 10-0 record.