What We Learned: Plant City at Plant

<p>On Tuesday night, Plant opened up its season with foe Plant City.</p> <p>It was the home team that picked up the victory, 53-44, putting the game away late in the second half.</p> <p>Here is a look at what we learned from the matchup.</p> <h3><strong>Weiss is hard to stop when he attacks</strong></h3> <p>12 of the 22 points for 2020 6'5" Plant forward <strong>Reagan Weiss </strong>came in the fourth quarter as he singlehandedly put the game on ice. With five points at the half, he was kept in check, for the most part, but he got going after halftime. Weiss is at his best when he bodies defenders and attacks the paint. He is too long to not use that to his advantage. Weiss is a very gifted shooter, but his weaving ability, size and finish help him score at the glass when he goes downhill. He's in for a big season if he keeps this pace up.</p> <h3><strong>Miller is a fine athlete for Plant City</strong></h3> <p>I liked the way 2021 6'1" Plant City forward <strong>Toddreon Miller</strong> battled all night. He had a team-best 12 points and was getting inside regularly. He knows he isn't the biggest guy, but his strength and toughness go a long way. He's a hard worker, who finds good spots inside and is someone that fights for rebounds all night long. Miller should be the top piece for the Raiders this season on both ends of the floor.</p> <h3><strong>Rubin brings intensity to Plant</strong></h3> <p>Coming down from Maryland, 2020 6'3" guard/forward <strong>Jeffrey Rubin</strong> had a very nice outing for Plant. He finished with nine points overall and a nice touch from deep. His push in transition makes him a key asset to this group and someone the Panthers can lean on next to Weiss to bring energy.</p> <h3><strong>Plant City needs health back on its side</strong></h3> <p>The trio of 2021 6'6" forward <strong>Andrew Walden </strong>(out until January due to injury), 2021 5'11" guard<strong> Bobby Henderson</strong> and 2022 5'8" guard <strong>Sincere Williams</strong> were all not dressed in this game. Plant City has nice size in 2021 6'4" forward <strong>Ezereke Dawson </strong>(7 points), but he isn't much of a consistent offensive threat outside of crashing the boards. 2020 5'9" guard <strong>Tre Ragan </strong>is someone the Raiders will need to lean on for outside shooting as he posted a 12-point night with three 3's and looked good doing it.</p> <h3><strong>Peek and Gonzalez are essential to Plant's backcourt</strong></h3> <p>The Panthers are searching for its bonafide point man and both 2020 guards Robbie Peek and Elijah Gonzalez had moments in this game. Peek scored 12 points while Gonzalez had two. Again it was moments, both guys played too fast at times and simply needed to make the simple play instead of trying for a tough bucket. We've seen both guards play well in flashes, but for Plant to succeed, they'll both have to play with purpose the entire way. </p>