Winter Haven vs Seminole: 5 takeaways
Trying to stay warm on one of Florida’s chilliest days thus far, I stopped in to check out Winter Haven play Seminole in the Clearwater Shootout. I wanted to see what I thought would be a great match up in Winter Haven’s Keyshawn Bryant and Seminole’s Duncan Demuth. Both guys have Division one coaches knocking down their door wanting to offer each a scholarship.
As I watched this game it became evident who it mattered most to, Seminole! Seminole came out with a sense of urgency from start to finish and never trailed in the game. Winter Haven came out relaxed and seemed as though they just were satisfied playing or the game would be given to them. Seminole won 68-58.
According to Max Preps, Seminole is 7-3 on the year and Winter Haven is 7-6.
5 Takeaways:
1) Seminole has some hidden gems
Seminole Warhawks came to compete and win. They spaced the floor well and ran good sets. To my surprise was a unknown guard, to me, who made play after play. Collin Sowada seemed to see everything and had the IQ to match and make the correct decision. He directed players to the right spots and his passes were on point all game long.
2) Winter Haven has talent
For Winter Haven Blue Devils in this game size should have been their biggest weapon. Looking at the court, the size difference was evident but they didn’t really use it to their advantage. The Blue Devils showed flashes of being a good team but couldn’t quite put it all together. My question would be‚ do the guys have the motor to get the job done?
3) Transition offense and defense was key
This game was played in transition most of the game. For Seminole guys took care of the ball, made the right reads and finished plays by make layups or open 3 pointers and got back on defense. For Winter Haven things seemed bottled up, no spacing, missed shots and layups, and didn’t get back on defense. It looked as if they just wanted to make highlight plays by throwing lobs that didn’t work either because Seminole was back or an error throw.
4) The bench being active makes a difference
The wasn’t much of a crowd for either team. Without much of a crowd, momentum is fed from the bench. The Warhawks bench cheered and applauded its team effort throughout the game and the players feed off it and the score reflected it from start to finish.
5) Star players won’t win games
It takes a team to win ball games but one player can make a difference and Duncan Demuth showed that his presence make others better. Even though he only scored 5 points, he drew double teams, rebounded, and blocked shots. Keyshawn Bryant didn’t get going until the fourth quarter and by then it was too late. He ended up with 20 points.
Up next for Winter Haven is Largo today at 7:30 and Seminole will face Pinellas Park on January 11, 2018 at 7:45pm.