Five Takeaways: Plant Powers Past Tech
Last night was an enticing matchup between arguably the two best teams in Tampa, all of Tampa Bay, and the entire 813. This was one of the largest and loudest crowds that I’ve seen all season with a big rematch…
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Continue ReadingLast night was an enticing matchup between arguably the two best teams in Tampa, all of Tampa Bay, and the entire 813. This was one of the largest and loudest crowds that I’ve seen all season with a big rematch between Tampa Bay Tech and their only Tampa area loss last season, Plant. The Panthers beat the Titans last year by a score of 45-40 early in the season, and the only major difference in this rematch is that Alexys Mathangani graduated from Plant on her way to continue her basketball career at Rhodes College.
One key note is that Janiah Barker went down just over the halfway point in the second quarter and didn’t return to the game after putting some ice on her ankle and leaving after the game on crutches. Tech still held their own until about halfway through the third when Plant started to go on a run and took over this game behind the likes of Nyla Jean, Kendal Cheesman, Honor Culpepper, and Kayla Sieper.
Coach Carrie Mahon also recorded her 500th win last night which is an incredible feat. A typical season is anywhere from 25-30 games and even if you are good every single year, that would still take a long time to accomplish. Congrats to her on a rare and impressive accomplishment! With all of that in mind, here are five of my takeaways from this game:
Plant is the best team in Tampa Bay
As I mentioned earlier, this team is clearly very well coached. They are also very talented and have strong chemistry and communication (even with those bothersome mouth guards). The only other team that belongs in this conversation is Carrollwood Day and maybe Seffner Christian since Plant has beat Brooks DeBartolo and Tech in the last week. Plant has everything that a team needs to be successful: a quality coach, shooters, size, ball handlers, basketball IQ, chemistry, and a really intimidating team name to cap it all off. It was great to see Silvia Farfante back in the lineup, and Freshman Tanner Strickland is seeing a lot of PT as a new Panther. They currently sit at 23-1 with one regular season came to go.
Tampa Bay Tech will have something to prove in the postseason
TBT came into the season as a defending state champ and a ranked team at the national level. They’ve yet to hit 20 wins on the season as they have been stuck at 19 for a week with a still impressive 19-6 record. Their six losses have been by small margins of 1, 3, 5, 5, 6, and 13 points against very good teams. They’ve struggled to win those tight games, but they do have a few quality wins against Miami Country Day, New Hope Academy (#5 in MD), and Rock Bridge (#4 in MO). Going into this season, you wouldn’t have thought this team would have a chip on their should but they definitely do now. A lot hinges on the health of Janiah, but they are still a strong team if she isn’t able to go.
Nyla Jean and Kendal Cheesman are the best 2021 duo I’ve seen
The 2021 class is stacked in Florida, and I’ve seen some really dynamic duo’s this year. But what I’ve seen over the course of the year with Nyla and Kendal has been the most impressive and consistent. Even on their “off” nights or after a bad play, they keep their heads up and move to the next possession. I’m not sure either of them know how to hang their heads or get frustrated on the court unless they just hide it very well. Neither of them shot the ball particularly well last night, but they were dynamite on defense. Nyla was all over whoever was bringing it up the floor, and Kendal had 4 blocked shots against a tall Tech team. They also combined for 19 boards (Kendall – 11, Nyla – 8) and 8 assists (Nyla – 5, Kendal – 3). But get this, they had 1 turnover between the two of them. As much as the ball is in their hands, they made sure they at least got a good look for a shot which is much better than a turnover even on a poor shooting night where they still scored in double digits. I’m sure they don’t want to take all of the credit though, so big shoutout to their coach and teammates for putting them in positions to be successful!
Hillsborough County has a ton of talent
In this game alone, there were at least 9-10 players who can play at the next level. There is a hotbed of talent here with the girls game growing even more, especially in this area. All of this talent has led to major tournaments and shootouts that have made my job much easier by bringing quality teams from throughout the state to my own backyard. There were at least four different media outlets in attendance last night, rightfully so. This is a terrific area for girls hoops that isn’t going to let up anytime soon.
Both teams have the goal and capabilities of winning a state championship
Both of these teams are at the top of their districts and the top of their classes with Tech being #10 in 6A and Plant being #2 in 7A according to MaxPreps. Tampa Bay Tech tasted it last year with the same crew of Jasmine Peaks, Amiya Evans, K’Nisha Godfrey, Janiah Barker, and Jayla Murray with an impressive win over St. Thomas Aquinas to win it all, but they’ve faced a little more adversity this year leading up to postseason play. Plant came up just short of the State Finals in a tough loss to St. Cloud, but they do have Honor Culpepper back this year. I expect to hear and see a lot of both teams throughout February.