By TERRY JONES, Times Correspondent
Published February 17, 2005
BRANDON - Brandon and Plant won semifinals Wednesday and will face off Saturday for the district championship.
In a tight first game, Plant defeated Middleton 57-50, then Brandon ended the season for East Bay 85-48.
Willie Piggott kept the Tigers in the game with his game-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers. He also was active on defense and under the basket.
Middleton took an early 13-9 lead in the first quarter, with Piggott scoring eight.
The Panthers took control and grabbed the lead in the second quarter, holding the Tigers to only five points while scoring 18 to take a 27-18 lead. Ryan McCurdy led the Plant comeback with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
McCurdy led the Panthers offense with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Also in scoring double figures for Plant wereChandler Flom (10) and Anthony Schultz(10). With four personal fouls at the half, McCurdy missed most of the second half before fouling out.
Plant coach Mike Phillips was pleased with his team's performance and the way it filled in for top shooter McCurdy through most of the game.
"We are not good enough yet to be able to win without playing a total game," Phillips said. "They filled in well when we lost Ryan so early (to foul trouble) and Dennis Akers did a superb job guarding Piggott for us or he could have scored many more."
Brandon was led by 6-2 guard Jamal Thompson, who scored a game-high 23, including five 3s.
The Eagles struggled in the first quarter, finishing with a 15-12 lead. But a 23-point second quarter and 33-point fourth put the game away.
"It took us awhile to get started," Brandon coach Mark Hermann said. "We got a lot of guard help from Thompson. He was really hot and when he is, we always do well."
