Plant City-area basketball teams are no strangers to success, and much of that is because of the athletic talent spread across the rosters.
In an effort to recognize some of the most important contributions that area players have made to their teams, the Plant City Times & Observer has put together two All-Area teams: one for the boys, one for the girls.
All statistical information used in these selections was gathered from MaxPreps.com.
2015 PCTO ALL-AREA BOYS TEAM
Isaiah Channer – Guard
Senior, Strawberry Crest
Channer is currently averaging 12.1 points, 6.5 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game for the Chargers. Stepping into the point guard role after his brother, Malik, graduated, Channer has filled in well. He put up a triple-double on Dec. 9, with 13 points and 10 rebounds and assists, but his best game came three days later: 22 points, 10 assists, nine boards and six steals in a 78-54 win over Steinbrenner.
Jordan White – Guard
Sophomore, Strawberry Crest
White is currently averaging 14.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Chargers. In the first big role of his young career, he’s already recorded five games of 20 points or more. His best game was the Nov. 25 win over St. Petersburg Catholic, 77-52, in which White finished with 29 points, three assists and two rebounds and steals.
Tyler White – Guard/Forward
Sophomore, Durant
White is currently averaging 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game for the Cougars. Leading the Durant attack, the sophomore has had a habit of coming up big in the games that count the most. Most notably, he dropped 36 points in the team’s 54-52 win over Plant City on Dec. 12 and also grabbed seven rebounds and three steals. He had nearly put up the same numbers in a 77-45 loss to a solid East Bay squad, with a line of 32-7-2.
Justin Hughes – Forward
Junior, Durant
Hughes is currently averaging 10.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game for the Cougars. The versatile forward has made a solid, all-around impact for Durant, but his best all-around game came in the Cougars’ 53-52 loss to Vanguard — 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in 21 minutes.
Emory Williams – Center
Junior, Strawberry Crest
Williams is currently averaging 10.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for the Chargers. Crest’s resident glass cleaner is the only boys player in the area averaging a double-double and has eaten several teams alive this season. This is especially true of Durant, against whom Williams has scored 47 points and grabbed 43 rebounds and four steals in two games.
2015 PCTO ALL-AREA GIRLS TEAM
Maiya Trigg – Guard
Senior, Strawberry Crest
Trigg is currently averaging 11.2 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game for the Lady Chargers. She has been leading the Crest offense for several seasons and has been consistent throughout. Her best game was Nov. 12 against Lennard, when she recorded 20 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds.
Ashlyn Myers – Guard
Freshman, Durant
Myers is currently averaging 11.9 points and 1.9 steals per game for the Lady Cougars. The youngest member of either All-Area team, Myers made an immediate impact for the Durant offense and has been crucial to the team’s large improvement in 2015. Her season high for points was 26, in the Nov. 13, 46-42 win over Wharton. But her best all-around game may have been Nov. 10 against Brandon — 15 points, three boards, four steals.
Tahira Rodriguez – Guard/Forward
Junior, Durant
Rodriguez is currently averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game for the Lady Cougars. She was the best player on last year’s squad, and her consistency has helped second-year coach Constance Wharton and her team make huge strides this season. Rodriguez’s best game was on Jan. 7, when she finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 60-55 loss to Tampa Bay Tech.
Terra Brooks – Forward
Junior, Strawberry Crest
Brooks is currently averaging 12.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per game for the Lady Chargers. The two-sport star has taken on more minutes for Crest in the wake of Aliyah Gregory’s departure, and has really stepped up. Brooks’s best game was Nov. 18, when she finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds, six steals and three blocks in a 78-43 win over Sickles.
Shayna Lawrence – Center
Junior, Plant City
Lawrence is currently averaging 11.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 2.4 steals per game for the Lady Raiders. Plant City has emerged as a formidable defensive team in the district this season, and this two-sport star has been the squad’s linchpin on that side of the ball, while also leading the team in points per game. Her best game may have been Jan. 6, when she scored 14 points and recorded 13 boards, nine blocks and three steals in a 51-48 loss to Newsome.
