BRANDON - Plant coach Carrie Mahon said her Panthers were "very prepared" to play King in the Class 5A, District 8 final, especially coming off what she felt was a second-rate performance in the semifinals.
Prepared wasn't the word. The Panthers (19-4) were slick and in control for nearly all four quarters of their 57-31 victory over the Lions (12-11). What started out as a close game turned quickly as Plant forced turnover after turnover - nine in the second half alone - to create scores.
The Panthers' defense might have been the star of the game, but they shot well too. Plant spent most of their pregame time fine-tuning their offense in a shootaround, and it paid off as the Panthers outscored King 21-1 in the third quarter.
"They put in a couple of quick hitters early," Mahon said. "It wasn't anything tremendously special other than a bunch of girls who got hot."
Sophomores Porscha Williamson (16 points) and Eriqah Butler (13) led the Panthers, and senior Lauren Cimino scored nine and was 3-for-4 from outside the 3-point line.
During one three-minute stretch in the third quarter, King committed five consecutive turnovers, which Plant capitalized on each time. King coach Eric Brooks called a timeout and tried to pull his team together.
"I basically told then we needed to start executing the fundamentals," Brooks said. "We needed to play with a little poise."
It was no use, as the Lions fell too far behind (51-20) at that point.
King was led by senior Jessica Bennett, who scored 13. The Lions will travel to Wharton for regional quarterfinals.
Plant hosts Alonso, which lost to Wharton in the 5A-7 final.
5A-7: Wharton wins with "D'
TAMPA - Every day in practice, Wharton works diligently on its defense.
It really showed in the final at Gaither, where the Wildcats defeated Alonso 62-28.
Wharton forced 30 turnovers, and the third-seeded Wildcats (22-7) used two spurts to defeat fourth-seeded Alonso (9-16) for the third time this season.
"Defense wins championships. and we stress that every day in practice," Wharton coach Jaymee Wallace said. "All the Xs and Os don't matter if you can't stop the other person."
Mina Folks scored a game-high 24, including 10 during a 20-0 second-quarter spurt that gave Wharton a 29-8 lead. In the third quarter, Whitney Jennings (15 points) and Nikki Kelley scored seven during a 16-2 run that increased the lead to 47-14.
Wharton held Alonso to 30 percent shooting and held Alonso leading scorer Jessica James without a point during the first half.
Alonso, which will make its first region appearance, was coming off a 54-46 victory over top-seeded Gaither on Thursday.
- DON JENSEN
6A-6: Durant loses in final
VALRICO - The first two times Sarasota Riverview and Durant played this season, each won at home and the games were settled by a combined three points. But when they met on a neutral court at Bloomingdale for the district championship, the game was never close. The Rams used an effective full-court press in scoring the first nine points and went on to beat Durant 60-46.
Sarasota Riverview (21-6) took advantage of Durant missing close shots to take a 25-7 lead in the second quarter. But a 9-2 rally led by Hillsborough County's leading scorer, Shay Mackey (30 points), cut the deficit to 27-16. Then Riverview's Shantia Grace scored the first half's final four points.
"We missed too many easy shots tonight," Durant coach O.J. Marbra said. "They got that quick start and we just couldn't catch up. But give Riverview credit. They deserved to win tonight."
Mackey scored 24 of her 30 in the second half for Durant (17-8). "I felt I had to do something," said the senior, who had three three-pointers. "I decided to go the basket if they gave it to me and try from outside if they didn't."
