Top Performers: Stranahan Mighty Dragons @ Dillard Panthers

<p>In a buzzer beating thriller at <strong>Dillard High School</strong>, the Panthers slipped past the visiting <strong>Stranahan Mighty Dragons</strong> 68-66. Senior <strong>Jalen Haynes</strong> put back lifted Dillard before a raucous crowd stormed the court to congratulate the victors. The back-and-forth affair saw the Panthers defeat last seasons 6A state champions without hitting a single 3-pointer. On the flip side, the Mighty Dragons hit ten 3-pointers from seven different players.</p> <p>The final sequence was a wild affair with senior <strong>Inady Legiste </strong>drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the key. On the ensuing possession, senior <strong>Ivan Reynolds</strong> drove down the left side of the lane before being blocked by Legiste. Attempting to save the ball out of bounds from the block, the Dragons rifled the ball right back to Reynolds who was once again blocked by Legiste. In what you might say was being in the right place at the right time, the ball found Haynes in the paint, who laid the ball up off the back rim before it fell into the net for the dramatic victory.</p> <p>Lets check out some top performers from this one:</p> <p>1) <strong>Jalen Haynes</strong><em>: Dillard - </em>If you had to pick an MVP of the night, it is hard not to go with Haynes (2020). The six-foot-eight senior finished with 23 points and the biggest bucket of the night. Haynes muscled his way around around the paint for a majority of his points. From my view, he plays even bigger than his 215-pound listed weight on recruiting services and already has the physical frame for college. He has received offers from schools such as UCF, USF, FAU, VCU, and Virginia Tech.</p> <p><em>2) </em><strong>Chayse Culpeppe</strong><strong>r</strong><em>: Stranahan - </em>The (2020) guard is a tenacious defender, evident early on when he induced a couple of turnovers in the half-court. In the third quarter, Culpepper portrayed strong body control for a layup and one. The senior finished with 11 points, knocking down a couple of 3-pointers for the Mighty Dragons. Culpepper is a proven leader for this Stranahan team.</p> <p>3) <strong>Chandler Mack</strong>: <em>Dillard</em> - The six-foot-two (2020) guard chipped in with 20 points for the Panthers, 12 of which came from the free-throw line. With the Panthers held off the box score from deep, Mack's production from the charity stripe was vital to the Panthers pulling out the victory.</p> <p>4) <strong>Inady Legiste</strong>: <em>Stranahan</em> - Legiste was quiet for most of the game but exploded in the fourth quarter. The (2020) forward hit a pair of contested drives in the lane before burying the tying 3-pointer. Legiste scored ten points, most of which came in the "money" quarter. If not for the Haynes bucket, the seniors key blocks during the final play would have sent the game to overtime. I was impressed with his poise when things might have not gone his way early in the game.</p> <p>5) <strong>J'vonni Roblejo: Dillard -  </strong>Roblejo (2020) goes about six-foot-eight as well and was big inside for the Panthers. The senior forward finished with a double-double of ten points and ten rebounds. Roblejo brings a ton of energy in the Dillard front-court and provides the Panthers a strong force along with Haynes. </p> <p><em><strong>For South Florida hoops news or information please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23</strong></em></p>