Standouts: Stranahan Mighty Dragons @ Blanche Ely Tigers

<p>Up in Pompano Beach, the <strong>Stranahan Mighty Dragons</strong> held on to defeat the <strong>Blanche Ely Tigers</strong> 59-57 in overtime.  Stranahan (15-6) led by as many as ten points in the second half before the Tigers crawled back into it with a chance to steal the victory at the end of regulation. Iowa State commit<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Dudley-Blackwell-45573275/"><strong> Dudley Blackwell </strong></a>missed a long 3-pointer wide to send the game to an extra session. The future Cyclone would grab a steal late in overtime but missed a game-tying layup in heavy traffic (more on the OT period below). The 2020 six-foot-five small forward finished with nine points. The Mighty Dragons have played well down the stretch, winning six of their last seven games. Overall, the teams six losses have come by a combined 27 points. Blanche Ely drops to 8-11 on the year.</p> <p><strong>Here are the standouts</strong>:</p> <p><strong>Chayse Culpepper</strong> - <em>Stranahan: With Blanche Ely down two points in overtime, the 2020 guard made arguably the biggest play in the game with his steal off a Tigers sideline in-bounds pass to seal the victory for the Mighty Dragons. In reality, Culpepper concluded a strong game with 14 points. </em><em style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">The senior is also a lock-down defender and picked up a block on a drive from Tigers 2020 guard <strong>Kenneth Kelly </strong>on a drive to the rim. On his 18th birthday, Culpepper was aggressive taking the ball to the rack, hitting a pretty reverse layup on the Tigers baseline in regulation. Culpepper is also a strong facilitator and found his teammates for easy buckets underneath all night. With under a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Culpepper fed 2020 <strong>Daquion Vickers</strong> with a pretty pass to tie the game. Culpepper's poise as a senior really played dividends in the Mighty Dragons victory, especially late in the fourth quarter and overtime. Simply put, big time players make big time plays when it counts.</em></p> <p><strong>Inady Legiste</strong> - <em>Stranahan: Legiste was a beast inside for the Mighty Dragons, picking up a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. On one offensive possession, the 2020 six-foot-seven forward collected three boards in traffic before getting fouled. With his back to the basket, the senior displayed good footwork before spinning baseline with a short floater for two of his points. On another play, Legiste powered over Blackwell for a bucket and seemingly flexed on his way back on defense. It was a fitting message as Legiste was strong all night for Stranahan.</em></p> <p><strong>Kolby King</strong> - <em>Blanche Ely</em>: <em>The 2022 guard played like a boss for the Tigers, finishing with a team high 15 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. The six-foot guard also showed his athleticism with eleven rebounds, some of which came deep inside the teeth of the paint. While guards sometimes pick up long rebounds off missed shots, King picked up many of his on the tougher variety. On one offensive possession, King curled around the Dragons defense before hitting a tough layup down the center of the lane. I don't see the Tigers comeback being possible without the play of King</em>.</p> <p><strong>Thaddeus Squire</strong> - <em>Stranahan: The 2021 forward was the third player for the Mighty Dragons to finish in double-figures with ten points. On one of his field goals, Squire skied for an offensive rebound before a put-back field goal off the glass. Squire played big for the Mighty Dragons, collecting six rebounds overall. It seems like every game the Mighty Dragons have someone step up with a big performance and he was the beneficiary in this one. </em></p> <p><strong>Kenneth Kelly</strong> - <em>Blanche Ely</em>: <em>The 2020 senior was smooth late, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to finish with all of his eight points in overtime. During regulation, Kelly did a nice good job guarding Chayse Culepper around the perimeter and seemed fired up doing it. I like Kelly's energy as it seems to set a tone for his team. </em></p> <p><strong>Lamont Evans</strong> - <em>Blanche Ely: Before King came on late, I thought Evans was the best player on the night for the Tigers. The 2020 guard finished with 12 points while knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. The senior captain is listed at five-foot-eleven but from my view plays bigger than his lists in the Ely back-court. </em></p> <p><em><strong>For any South Florida hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines on Instagram @Steins_23 or follow him on twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong> </em></p>