St. Pete vs Plant City: The Outcome and Standouts
Plant City and St. Pete had a packed gym that provided an awesome atmosphere for tonight’s regional quarterfinal. As the game began, Plant City took control by feeding Justyn King in the post. As the first quarter continued, Serrel Smith and Tai Strickland began to draw fouls by being aggressive putting Plant City in foul trouble. Even though the Raiders were in foul trouble, they kept a small lead throughout the game. In the fourth as fouls continued mounting up, the Green Devils became more and more aggressive on both ends until they finally took a lead. With three minutes left in the game and 3 of the Raiders starters fouled out, methodically worked the ball around for quality shots and knocked down free throws to close the game out for the win 72-63.
The Standouts:
Jadyn Strawder (Plant City) – he was the best shooter on the court. He came off screens ready to catch and shoot and he also came down dribbling on breaks and stopped and popped. He was 6 of 9 from deep and finish the game with 18 points. Strawder also led his team in rebounding with 12.
Serrel Smith (St Pete) – Smith drew double teams and made good decisions. He was 7 for 9 from the free throw line and finished the game with 20 points.
Justyn King (Plant City) – King was a force in the paint. He posted up hard and took advantage of smaller defenders. He also rebounded well and altered several shots. King finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds.
Tai Strickland (St. Pete) – Tai lived at the free throw line in this game. Strickland consistently drove to the lane coming off screens drawing fouls on defenders as he passed by. He was 9 of 14 from the free throw line and finished the game with 24 points.
Matt Simpson (Plant City) – the point guard put his team into great situations and made timely plays until he eventually fouled out. Simpson had 15 points in the contest.
The game was a insanely intense battle between two tough teams and it was decided by the foul situation. Plant City was 4 for 13 and St Pete was 24 for 39. Plant City had 4 players foul out and 3 more with 4 fouls. St. Pete moves on to face a tough Tampa Bay Tech team in the regional semifinal.