8A-3 Region Final: Lakewood Ranch punches its ticket to Lakeland

<p>It was a true battle of grit and toughness on Friday at Lakewood Ranch where the Mustangs escaped with a 57-47 victory in the Class 8A, Region 3 Final win.</p> <p>Lakewood Ranch (23-6) finds themselves back in the state tournament for the second time in three years where it will now play Jacksonville Fleming Island at 2 p.m. ET on Friday. No one on the current varsity roster played for the Mustangs during the previous run to Lakeland.</p> <p>As for East Lake, the Eagles (24-5) made school history all season long and held leads after both the first quarter (14-10) and the third quarter (38-34). They can hold their heads high after coming into a raucous environment in front of a near-soldout crowd at Lakewood Ranch.</p> <p><em>Here are a few thoughts from the evening.</em></p> <h2><strong>Shaneyfelt shined at key times</strong></h2> <p>Scoring all but three points for Lakewood Ranch in the second quarter, 2020 guard <strong>Christian Shaneyfelt</strong> was red hot, adding 14 points which featured a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer (<strong><a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1101641505536688129">VIDEO</a></strong>). The 6'6" junior opened the third quarter with a quick two and had seven points in the fourth quarter as the Mustangs pushed away. This was the most complete game I've seen Shaneyfelt play yet. Although he was quiet to start, he made big shots when Lakewood Ranch needed it the most and he took it upon himself to ring the bill. Shaneyfelt was hands down the best player on the floor in this one.</p> <h2><strong>Blanch continues to handle the pressure</strong></h2> <p>You may look at the box score and see only 12 points for 2020 East Lake guard <strong>Dionte Blanch</strong>. It doesn't matter, the junior guard worked for every single one of those points on the road in front of a loud Lakewood Ranch crowd. Blanch found success in the third quarter, scoring eight points which consisted of six straight points and a 3-pointer that put his team ahead 35-30. He finished the third quarter with an alley-oop dunk (<a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1101646602576502784"><strong>VIDEO</strong></a>). The mixture of athleticism, ballhandling and overall determination makes Blanch a breakout candidate this summer.</p> <h2><strong>Inside slashing was on for Young </strong></h2> <p>One of the most reliable forwards in the entire state of Florida, 2019 forward <strong>Joshua Young</strong> knows his role for Lakewood Ranch and it works well. The 6'6" senior had 12 points and was crucial down low for the Mustangs offensive plans. Along with Shaneyfelt, Young improved his play as the game went along. He had eight points in the fourth quarter alone and his hook shot was smooth. His slashing is a true difference maker and will be essential in Lakeland next week.</p> <h2><strong>Gabrelcik and Hillmon can shoot at a high clip</strong></h2> <p>The ball movement from East Lake was tremendous down to the very end of the game and 2021 guard <strong>Dean Gabrelcik</strong> and 2020 guard <strong>Jordan Hillmon</strong> were making it look easy from downtown. Gabrelcik led his team with 17 points (five 3's). Hillmon paced him with 12 points which featured three 3's in the opening half and four in the game overall. With more focus on ballhandling and driving, Gabrelcik will continue to be a factor as a scorer and his upside is high at his 6'4" frame.</p> <h2><strong>Buckley, Perez and Barton are a good trio</strong></h2> <p>Combining for 20 points, 2020 guard <strong>Keon Buckley</strong> (eight points), 2020 guard <strong>Christian Perez</strong> (eight points) and 2019 guard <strong>Lantz Barton</strong> (four points) all control the tempo and create for the Mustangs. Buckley got into early foul trouble but was a key piece in the waning minutes. Perez hit a pair of 3's in the first half and is a big energy guy. Barton connected on two mid-range jumpers including one late in the third quarter to trim the deficit to two points. Lakewood Ranch's guard play is full of high IQ action and it will need that on Friday against Jacksonville Fleming Island.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Final Score (8A-3 Region Final):<br /> <br /> Lakewood Ranch 57<br /> East Lake 47<br /> <br /> The Mustangs are headed to Lakeland. <br /> <br /> ????leaders <a href="https://twitter.com/LRMustangHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LRMustangHoops</a><br /> Christian Shaneyfelt 23<br /> Joshua Young 12<a href="https://twitter.com/ELHS_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ELHS_Basketball</a> <br /> Jordan Hillmon 15<br /> Dean Gabrelcik 14<br /> Dionte Blanch 12 <a href="https://t.co/xdgiWI8slK">pic.twitter.com/xdgiWI8slK</a></p> — ᴊᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇʀ (@JakePerper) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1101654001198776322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>