Hollywood MLK Fall League: Cobra Elite wins championship
HOLLYWOOD — Cobra Elite (South Miami) got 19 points from 2020 forward Iann Segura to take down the Panthers (Coral Springs Charter), 57-42, Thursday night in the championship game of the 2018 Hollywood MLK Fall League, put on by the Hollywood Police Athletic League.
Cobra Elite (five starters pictured below with head coach Robert Doctor) led 13-7 after one quarter, 29-16 at the half and 42-30 going to the final period. The champions only lost two games during their Fall League run — versus Blanche Ely and Stranahan. Cobra Elite went unbeaten this summer while playing at Florida Gulf Coast.
“We’ve got to get a little bit better on defense and I think we’ll be a really, really good team,” coach Doctor said of the Class 9A Cobras. “They are playing hard. We’re knocking down shots. Toru [Dean] getting in the lane and create for everybody else and Lee [Flenor] grabbing rebounds.”
The Panthers’ entire starting lineup, meanwhile, is made up of underclassmen. They also had only lost two fall league games going into the finals: versus Blanche Ely and Somerset.
“We’re an up-and-coming program but we’re young,” Panthers coach Lamar Twitty said. “We have five juniors coming back that won a district title last year. … finished 20-6. Lost to Oxbridge second round of [Class 5A] region. It’s big for this program … being in the finals tonight, it was awesome.”
Here are six players to watch this season that stood out during the championship game:
COBRA ELITE (SOUTH MIAMI)
— Iann Segura (2020): The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter canned five 3-pointers Thursday in the title game en route to his 19 points. Segura adds a potent offensive option to Doctor’s offense. He also had 19 points in a win over Ely in the semifinals. “When he’s playing good, we’re really good,” Doctor said of Segura. “We had to practice a lot,” added Segura, who is still looking for that first scholarship offer. “Every day we are shooting 3s. In the morning … 6 o’clock after practice.”
— Lee Flenor (2019): Flenor continues to flourish down low, where he is an excellent finisher. Flenor had 13 points Thursday night. He has an early offer from Stetson. “I feel like the team is coming along,” Flenor said. “We are building.”
— Toru Dean (2019): Dean was first-team All-State in 9A as a junior. The guard is tough to stop — leave him and he will can a jumper; come up on him and he will drive it by you. Hits acrobatic layups. Dean, who has offers from Barry and Canisius, had 15 in the title game. Dean and Flenor have great chemistry. They have been playing together since the seventh grade.
PANTHERS (CORAL SPRINGS CHARTER)
— Ian Tajalli (2020): Has offers from Lehigh and Navy. Versatile on offense, as 6-6 wing has a good first step and can drive on defenders. Can also stick the 3s. Strong with the ball and defends.
— Ivan Reynolds (2020): Six-foot-3 guard holds offers from FAU, FGCU, South Florida and North Florida. “Defensively he can guard 1 through 4s,” Twitty said. “He guards every team’s best guard. The way he’s scoring the ball now, his shot has gotten better every year.”
— Justin Allen (2020): Led the way vs. Cobra Elite with 18 points. Six-foot-1 guard has offer from Albany State. “He had a great summer,” Twitty said. “His ability to make shots and get to the rim is amazing. He’s going to have a big year for us.”
If you have high school basketball news, you can reach Pat Lammer via e-mail at PatALammer@Gmail.com or via text at 954-661-9671.