FHSAA State Tournament: Day 4 Top Performers
LAKELAND – The FHSAA state tournament wrapped up on Saturday with five state finals at the RP Funding Center. Here are the results. 3A St. Andrew’s 57, Andrew Jackson 50 (The Scots won their 1st state title school history) 4A…
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Continue ReadingLAKELAND – The FHSAA state tournament wrapped up on Saturday with five state finals at the RP Funding Center.
Here are the results.
3A
St. Andrew’s 57, Andrew Jackson 50 (The Scots won their 1st state title school history)
4A
Stranahan 71, Tampa Catholic 64 (The Mighty Dragons won back to back state titles)
5A
Rickards 67, Pembroke Pines 60 (The Raiders won their 5th state title and first since 2011)
6A
Bartow 66, Dillard 61 – 1 OT (The Yellow Jackets won their 5th state title and first since 2010)
7A
Miramar 66, Seminole 51 (The Patriots won their 1st state title in school history)
ICYMI:
Day 1 Top Performers
Day 2 Top Performers
Now a look at the top standouts.
Basa-ama and Minott shine for St. Andrew’s
The length and persistence from St. Andrew’s forward pair 2020 Yale signee Yussif Basa-ama and 2021 Josh Minott Josh Minott 6'9" | PF St. Andrew's | 2021 State #30 Nation FL proved to be too much for a physical Andrew Jackson squad. Basa-ama was active from the jump and showed his ability to finesse into the lane for buckets with 19 points (7-of-9 from the FT line).
…As for Minott, the high IQ wing had 12 points and played with a ton of confidence, handling the rock and pushing the cause. Dayton, Rice, FAU, Stetson, FGCU and North Texas have all offered the junior. He told me he will run with Nightrydas EYBL this summer.
‘Stranahan’s Five’ do damage
Down by nine at the break and by seven with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, Stranahan fought hard to chip at Tampa Catholic and simply make life hard for them. It worked the Mighty Dragons way behind five key pieces in seniors Inady Legiste Inady Legiste 6'6" | PF Stranahan | 2020 State FL , Chayse Culpepper Chayse Culpepper 6'0" | CG Stranahan | 2020 State FL and Daquion Vickers Daquion Vickers 6'1" | CG Stranahan | 2020 State FL and juniors Houston Culpepper Houston Culpepper 6'3" | CG Stranahan | 2022 State FL and Thaddeus Squire Thaddeus Squire 6'5" | CG Stranahan | 2021 State FL .
…Legiste and Culpepper were the top options back from last year as Legiste scored 19 points and went to work down low in the second half and Culpepper had 16 points, living at the free throw line and moving with purpose. Vickers gave Stranahan some important minutes and hit a few key shots late. Houston Culpepper Houston Culpepper 6'3" | CG Stranahan | 2022 State FL came off the bench and slashed his way to an impressive 13 points (6-of-8 shooting) while Squire had 15 points and nine rebounds and used his length to his advantage on both endss of the floor.
Trio does it for Rickards
Three Rickards players reached double digits as the Raiders took home their first state title in 10 years. 2020 pair Ke’Varius Taylor and Zackary White Zackary White 6'3" | CG Rickards | 2020 State FL each had 19 points and both earned offers from Polk State after the game. Taylor was smooth with the ball and battled while White used his mid-range to his advantage scoring 7-of-11 from the field. Also, Rickards earned a nice night from 2021 guard A’drelin “Ray” Robinson who made the move over from Surge Christian early in the season. He had 14 points and six rebounds and controlled the tempo from the jump.
Johni Broome Johni Broome 6'8" | PF Tampa Catholic | 2020 State FL does his part for Tampa Catholic
Starting off with 10 points in the opening quarter, Stranahan didn’t let 2020 Morehead State signee Johni Broome Johni Broome 6'8" | PF Tampa Catholic | 2020 State FL do much over the next two quarters. He did end up with 20 points and 10 rebounds as Tampa Catholic didn’t quit late in the fourth quarter. Coming over from Plant City prior to his junior year, the strides that Broome made were impressive. He went from being an unknown talent to a true Division I player due to his instincts and polished footwork.
Jean-Charles cleans it up for Miramar
Seminole couldn’t find an answer for 2022 Miramar forward Deshawn Jean-Charles Deshawn Jean-Charles 6'6" | PF West Oaks | 2022 State FL . He was cleaning up everything and basically putting rebounds away and scores. He had a game-high 25 points including 15 in the second half alone (9-of-12 from the FT line). As for 2020 forward Michael Lott, he was gigantic on the boards with eight points and 20 rebounds (17 defensive boards). 2021 guard Khamaury Mcmillan Khamaury Mcmillan 6'0" | CG Miramar | 2021 State FL did his part per usual with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Miramar sets up well next season despite the losses of Lott and senior Citadel signee Brent Davis Brent Davis 6'1" | CG Miramar | 2020 State FL to graduation.
Simons and Co. go hard for Bartow
In one of the best games you’ll see at any level, Bartow outlasted Dillard in one overtime in a game that saw nine lead changes. The Yellow Jackets held their biggest lead in overtime by six points under a minute left.
…2020 forward Joshua Simons Joshua Simons 6'3" | SF Bartow | 2020 State FL played gritty against 2020 Dillard big man Jalen Haynes Jalen Haynes 6'8" | PF Dillard | 2020 State #327 Nation FL scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds. 2021 guard Amarion Frazier had a trio of 3’s, all important in the second half to finish with 14 points while 2022 guard Jordy Lowery had his biggest game of the season with 12 points and a ton of smart transition play.
Baker finishes strong for Seminole
2020 Tennessee Martin football commit O’Shea Baker was the best player on the floor in a game where his team shot under 31 percent from the field on the night. He had 22 points on 8-of-14 from the field. Time and time again, the strong and physical attacking guard went to the rack and drew contact, keeping Seminole in the game. The only lead the Seminoles had in their first state title came early in the game by two points.
Mack and Bromley fight for Dillard
Dillard didn’t go down easy. Behind two strong outings from 2020 pair Chandler Mack Chandler Mack 6'3" | CG Dillard | 2020 State FL and Kirt Bromley Kirt Bromley 6'4" | SF Dillard | 2020 State FL , the Panthers continued to keep the game close. Mack had 18 points, fouling out late in overtime. He was slashing and getting to the free throw line often. His athleticness and lead guard ability are steady. As for Bromley, the forward had a big showing with 14 points and 13 rebounds, serving as an active presence on the boards and a very good physical presence.
West attacks relentlessly for Andrew Jackson
The effort level that 2020 forward Logan West Logan West 6'5" | PF Jackson | 2020 State FL played with in his final game was undeniable. He had 10 points for Andrew Jackson and didn’t shoot that well, but he dug deep and went to the basket, drawing contact (6-of-8 from the free throw line). West is a steal for Warner, a kid who will give you his 100 percent night in and night out.
Price stands out for Pembroke Pines
Trailing for the entire game, Pembroke Pines was tasked to score a lot in the second half. One player that never stopped was 2020 guard Osei Price Osei Price 6'4" | CG Pembroke Pines | 2020 State FL . A transfer from Montverde, he made a huge impact all year long for the Jaguars. In this game, he scored 15 points, hitting some tough off balanced shots in the second half. A Division I program would be happy to land him.