Standouts: Stranahan Mighty Dragons vs. Mater Lakes Academy Bears

<p>It was a special night over at <strong>Stranahan High School</strong> in Fort Lauderdale. Members of last seasons Mighty Dragons championship team received state title rings after cutting down the nets in storybook fashion over in Lakeland. After all, it was the first basketball state championship in the history of the school. Furthermore, it was a night that honored former Dragons coach <strong>Keith Skinner</strong>, who passed away from cancer in 2017.</p> <p>After the celebrations, it was back to business for the Mighty Dragons on their home court. Yes, business ended up picking right where the Dragons left off a year ago. Stranahan maintained a 20-point lead after the first quarter and defeated the visiting <strong>Mater Lakes Academy Bears</strong> 74-46. The Dragons dominated the second quarter, forcing Mater Lakes into multiple open court turnovers for transition layups. Deflections, tips, and straight steals turned into track style basketball for the Dragons on the offensive end. When the dust settled, the Dragons put 11 different players in the box score. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, most of the Stranahan starters were in their warm ups as the lead ballooned to nearly 30 points. The Dragons look like a well oiled machine and primed to repeat in 2020.</p> <p>Lets take a look at some game standouts:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Inady Legiste</strong> - <em>Stranahan</em>: Legiste (2020) poured in a game high 18 points and could have finished with 25 if not for sitting out the fourth quarter. The six-foot-seven senior looked dominate around the low block, using his size and length to finish for easy buckets. The Bears did the best they could, but Legiste was simply too strong underneath to be contained. "My team came out with a lot of energy and grit," said Legiste after the game. "We like to play defense so we really got on the other defenders and made them tired. We played full court so we gave them no chances to breath. We made the right plays and played good team ball."</li> <li><strong>Dave Herard</strong> - <em>Stranahan: </em>In what might have been the most impressive play of the night<em>, </em>Herard (2020) stole a Bears pass around half court in the second quarter and turned it into a lob dunk off the backboard for trailing teammate Leonard Manuel. The senior, who is committed to Virginia for football, showed off his athleticism again when he glided for a fancy reverse layup off the back of the glass. Herard also hit his only three about five feet behind the 3-point line. The future Cavalier finished with nine points in limited time with the game in hand but made the most of it with a string of highlight reel plays.</li> <li><strong>Anthony Floyd</strong> - <em>Mater Lakes Academy</em>: My first "he's a freshman" off the year came from Floyd (2023), who finished the night with 17 points. Floyd cashed in early from line when the Bears were put in the bonus and displayed a strong handle in the teams offensive sets. The freshman hit a couple of 3-pointers as well as a pretty step back jumper late in the game. Intangibly, Floyd seems to already have the poise of a four year veteran and should be fun to watch as he develops his game.</li> <li><strong>Chris Robinson</strong>/<strong>Savier McCall</strong>/<strong>London Prevelion</strong> - <em>Stranahan</em><strong>: </strong>The trio combined for 26 points, with Robinson (2021) leading the way with 12. It was hard to pick just one guy here, which highlights how deep this Dragons team is. Stranahan is unselfish and can get a bucket from anyone at any given time. Sacrificing statistics for wins, the depth is why Stranahan won 27 games last year and fit to repeat as state champions this season.</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p>