Stranahan pulls away from Paxon in fourth quarter to reach second straight state title game

Fort Lauderdale Stranahan huddled after the third quarter ended at the Class 4A semifinals to think about the message Terrence Williams has preached to the Mighty Dragons. The opponent will always have a run. Stranahan just needs to be ready to counterpunch.

The Dragons’ lead had dwindled to a point. Stranahan needed a big fourth quarter to fend off Jacksonville Paxon School For Advanced Studies. This year, the Dragons had experience — state championship experience — to draw on to finish off a 59-54 win.

“That experience helped us a lot,” said post player Inady Legiste, who finished with 12 points. “We had our ups and we had our downs, but at the same time no matter what we stayed up because we knew that the game’s about runs. Our coach preaches us that to us since Day 1. They’re going to go on a run, we’re going to go on a run.”

Stranahan (23-9) opened the fourth quarter with 10 straight points, and the Dragons were on their way back to the state title game for the second straight season. Stranahan handled the Paxon School for Advanced Studies’ press and shut down star Paxon swingman Isaiah Adams in the fourth quarter to upset the Golden Eagles (25-6) at the RP Funding Center.

The Dragons will take on Tampa Catholic at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday back inside George Jenkins Arena.

Although it’s a defending state champion, Stranahan still filled the role of scrappy underdog in Lakeland. Last year, the Dragons reached the state semifinals for the first time since 1959, won their first state championship in any sport since 1975 and claimed their first boys’ basketball title ever in their first trip to the final. They returned to Central Florida this week with experience, but still without a high-powered identity. Stranahan only has one player averaging more than 10 points per game and shooting guard Dave Herard, who has signed a national letter of intent to play football for the Virginia Cavaliers and is the Dragons’ second-leading scorer, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Region 4-4A championship Friday.

Stranahan does, however, have six players who average at least six points per game. Three of the Dragons starters Thursday also started in the state championship last year. Seven players still scored for Stranahan even with Herard sidelined, and wing Thaddeus Squire took over his all-around burden by scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. When the fourth quarter began with their lead trimmed all the way to one point, the Dragons were ready to rip off a game-deciding run.

“We don’t take anyone for granted,” Williams said. “Just because we got here last year, that really doesn’t mean that we’ll get here this year.”

Paxon’s run came at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles closed the period on a 9-2 run as the Dragons suffered through a four-minute scoring drought. Stranahan’s lead, which had been as large as eight points, was down to 37-36 at the start of the fourth.

Paxon didn’t score for the first 4:10 of the quarter. Adams, who has signed with the Central Florida Knights and finished with 29 points, didn’t score his first fourth-quarter points until 46 seconds remained in the game. The Dragons held the three-happy, turnover-averse Eagles to 8 of 25 from three-point range and forced them into 15 turnovers.

Stranahan spent all season making sure it would never lose focus on its quest to repeat as state champions. The Dragons played all but eight of their games away from their Fort Lauderdale gymnasium and wound up playing all postseason away from home. It was all to make sure Stranahan would get to Saturday.

“We call ourselves ‘road warriors’ right now,” Williams said. “We’ve been in blue for a long time.”

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

▪ Palmetto 9, Cooper City 7: Sofia Aguirre 5 goals, 1 assist, 8 ground balls; Shannyn Cullen 2 goals, 1 assist, 12 ground balls; Gabi Rousseau 2 goals, 2 ground balls; Sam Berlan 1 assist, 4 ground balls; Vanessa Serrano 2 assists, 5 ground balls; Isabella Mendoza 4 ground balls; Sabrina Rodriguez 3 ground balls; Sofia Sicuso 3 ground balls

▪ Ransom Everglades 20, Coral Shores 1

BOYS’ LACROSSE

▪ Ransom 14, Coral Shores 1

SOFTBALL

▪ Ransom Everglades 18, Monsignor Pace 1: WP: Leah Maduro 3IP, 1H, 6 Ks; Abby Sekoff 2-2 2BB, 2 SB, 3R; Isabella Bremmer 2-2, 2R; Vicky Muller-Kahle 3 BB, 3R.

▪ Palmetto 16, Key West 0: WP: Melody Vizcaino (4-0), 3 IP, 0H, 7Ks, 1-2 HR, 2 RBI; Isabella Martinez 1-2, 2B, 4 RBI; Cassie Martinez 2-2, Sophia Wylie 2-2. PAL: 5-0.

BASEBALL

▪ Ransom Everglades 14, Everglades Prep. 4: Chris Basile two hits including a double.

COACHES: Please email all scores and results to hssports@miamiherald.com

This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 12:55 PM.