Stranahan boys’ basketball makes history with first trip to state-championship game
If there were any “state final four jitters,” the Stranahan boys’ basketball team, playing in its first state semifinal since Dwight Eisenhower was President (1959), sure didn’t show it Wednesday night.
The Mighty Dragons came out and took the whip to the Brooksville Nature Coast Tech like they owned it, as they led the entire game and cruised to a huge 76-45 rout in a Class 6A state semifinal at the RP Funding Center.
With the win, Stranahan advances to its first state championship game in program history and will take on St. Petersburg Lakewood on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the 6A title game.
It also capped off a big day for Broward County teams as Westminster Academy and University also won, completing a triple sweep. All three will play in Thursday’s championship games.
If the Dragons can pull off the win, it would mark the school’s first team state championship in any sport since the wrestling team did it in 1975.
It would also be only the fifth state title for the school (girls swimming, 1969, wrestling 1971, 72, 75) since it opened its doors in 1953. And coach Terrence Williams and his players are quite aware of the school’s drought and the history they are making.
“Wow, a long time man,” said Williams, a Stranahan alumnus, who played for the program in the late 90s. “Everytime you look up at the few banners we have in that gym and you’re looking for something in the ‘80s, ‘90s, 2000s, there’s nothing up there and you wonder if we’re ever going to get there. We’re here and now we need one more.”
The big performers for the Dragons on Wednesday? That one was easy as it was the same two that have been leading the team all season long, Inady Legiste and Brian Dugazon. By the end of the third quarter when Stranahan (25-6) had a huge 55-26 lead, the two had combined for 34 of the team’s 55 points. They finished with a combined 44 points, Legiste leading the way with 23 while also pulling down six boards.
“We have a poise that not a lot of teams have,” said Legiste, when asked about the team’s solid start and lack of those jitters. “It’s all about confidence and we don’t worry about jitters. We got those out of the way in the locker room before the game and we were ready to go when the whistle blew.”
Leading 21-14, Stranahan closed out the first half on a 13-5 run to take a 15-point lead to the locker room at the break.
There would be no letup as the Dragons, who finished the night shooting 57.7 percent from the floor, came out in the second half and scored the first 12 points to go up 46-19 and it was just a matter of what the final score would be.
“We saw at the end of the first half they were getting a little tired so we wanted to come right out and speed it up and run to start the second half,” said Williams. “We just came out and pretty much slam dunked things with that run to start the second half.”
Said Legiste: “It’s so fulfilling because everybody in the neighborhood is behind us and everybody says we’re not only trying to win it for us but for the alumni and the school. We want this state championship so bad.”
Said Williams: “We’ve been preaching from day one to create our own history and that’s what these kids have come up here to do. They know how important it is for themselves, for the school, for the community to bring something special back home.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 10:05 PM.
