The Lady Raiders’ aggressive defense and fast-break offense fuel a dominant 53-15 victory over Gaither in preseason classic opener.
The sixth annual Pee Wee Callins Preseason Classic kicked off Monday as the Plant City Lady Raiders hosted the Gaither Cowboys. The Lady Raiders came out strong, using an aggressive defense and an impressive offensive performance to secure a dominant 53-15 victory.
Plant City won the opening tip but missed its first layup. After Gaither missed a 3-pointer, Raiders’ Harmoney Ford scored the first basket of the game with a layup. Alyssa Valerio followed with a steal and an and-one layup, converting the free throw to give Plant City an early advantage.
Gaither called a timeout with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter. Following the break, both teams traded missed shots before the Cowboys scored their first basket with a layup in the paint.
The Raiders quickly responded as Sami’yyah Davis connected on the first 3-pointer of the game. Ja’nelle Graham added a layup off an inbound pass, and Davis came up with another steal. Jahni Shaw then drew a foul, forcing the Raiders to inbound the ball. Shaw capitalized on the opportunity by knocking down a 3-pointer off the inbound pass to extend Plant City’s lead.
Gaither struggled against the Raiders’ pressure, turning the ball over after failing to advance past half court in time. Jaiden Lewis went to the free-throw line and converted one of two attempts before Plant City came up with another steal. Lewis finished the fast break with a layup.
With 1:48 remaining in the quarter, the Cowboys committed another turnover. Jada Shaw used a nice crossover to create an opportunity for a layup, and Jahni Shaw followed with a steal and another fast-break basket.
Gaither turned the ball over again with 30 seconds left in the quarter. Although the Raiders missed a 3-pointer, Karsyn Howell came up with a steal. Plant City was unable to convert the ensuing fast break, but the Raiders had already established a commanding lead.
At the end of the first quarter, Plant City led 20-2.
Gaither started the second quarter with possession but missed a 3-pointer. The Raiders then turned the ball over before stealing it back and giving possession away again. After both teams exchanged missed shots, the Cowboys called a timeout with 6:15 remaining in the first half.
Jada Shaw scored the first basket of the second quarter, stealing the ball and finishing with a layup. The Raiders’ full-court press continued to create problems for Gaither, which again turned the ball over after failing to get across half court in time.
Graham grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul, sending her to the free-throw line, where she missed both attempts. Valerio then came up with a steal and found Graham open for a fast-break layup.
The Cowboys committed another turnover on a traveling violation, and Graham followed with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to further extend the Raiders’ lead.
Gaither finally reached the free-throw line and converted one of two attempts to score its first point of the quarter. The Cowboys added another point at the line after Plant City turned the ball over and committed a foul.
The Raiders continued to showcase their offensive chemistry when Valerio delivered a beautiful pass to Ford, who cut into the paint for an and-one layup. Ford converted the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Davis then recorded another steal and finished with a layup, sending the Raiders into halftime with a 32-4 lead.
Plant City opened the second half with possession, and Ford scored the first basket of the third quarter. Both teams then exchanged turnovers as the game became more physical.
Lewis reached the free-throw line for the Raiders but missed both attempts. Plant City grabbed the offensive rebound but was unable to convert the second-chance opportunity. Gaither responded with a steal and earned a trip to the free-throw line, where the Cowboys also went 0-for-2 before collecting an offensive rebound.
A timeout was called with 5:47 remaining in the third quarter, with Plant City holding a 34-5 lead.
Following the timeout, Gaither stole the inbound pass and scored a layup for its first field goal of the second half. The Cowboys then recorded another steal and returned to the free-throw line, converting one of two attempts.
Both teams continued to trade turnovers during a somewhat sloppy third quarter. Gaither earned another trip to the line and again made one of two free throws.
Lewis ended the Raiders’ scoring drought with a midrange jumper. A timeout was called with 2:37 remaining in the quarter, as Plant City held a 37-9 advantage.
The Raiders came out of the timeout firing. Jahni Shaw knocked down a 3-pointer, and Valerio followed with a steal and layup. Jada Shaw then connected on a jumper near the free-throw line before stealing the ball and finishing another layup.
Plant City’s strong finish to the quarter pushed its lead to 48-11 heading into the final eight minutes.
Gaither opened the fourth quarter by getting to the free-throw line and converting one of two attempts. Plant City’s Laryn Martinez scored the first field goal of the quarter for the Raiders, but the Cowboys responded with a 3-pointer.
A timeout was called with 5:37 remaining in the game, with Plant City leading 50-15.
Following the timeout, the Raiders turned the ball over, but Valerio quickly made up for it by scoring a layup and drawing a foul. She converted the free throw to complete the three-point play and extend the Raiders’ lead.
Gaither made one final trip to the free-throw line with less than 1:30 remaining but missed both attempts. Neither team added another basket as the clock wound down.
The Lady Raiders closed out the sixth annual Pee Wee Callins Preseason Classic opener with a convincing 53-15 victory over the Gaither Cowboys. Plant City’s aggressive full-court press, ability to force turnovers and efficient transition offense proved to be the difference throughout the contest.
