After moving to 7-0 in a nail-biting one-score game against local rival Durant the Friday before, the Plant City Raiders hosted Robinson High School last Friday and moved to 8-0 with another narrow 71-66 finish.
After the opening tip, Plant City took control of the game early and built a 20-12 lead in a matter of minutes with a barrage of three pointers, hitting four in the game’s first seven minutes. Robinson answered back with a three of their own from freshman Marion Ward and a fast break layup from senior Myron Thomas, making it a three-point game at 20-17 with less than a minute left in the first quarter.
With five seconds left in the first, Plant City turned possession over on the inbound and Ward threw up a half-court prayer as the buzzer sounded, hitting the incredible shot and leaving the game tied 20-20.
Plant City dominated the second quarter, starting the period on a 7-0 run before eventually building a 38-23 lead, their largest lead of the contest, and it seemed as though they would cruise to victory with a 15-point lead in hand. Robinson answered with another late bucket but the Raiders were able to take a 38-25 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break it was like a switch was flipped in the Robinson huddle. The Knights immediately opened the second on a 5-0 run with another three from Ward and a bucket on the next possession to make it a single-digit deficit. A putback layup from Plant City’s D.J. Haynes off a missed three put them back up 10, leading 40-30, but Robinson continued to chip away. Trailing 42-33, Robinson senior Joshua Walker drove the lane and hit the tough layup through contact, also drawing the foul. He converted his lone shot from the stripe and it was now just a six-point game. Robinson showed grit throughout the third quarter and seemingly had a response every time Plant City tried to regain their hold on the game. After outscoring the Raiders 21-13 in the third quarter, Robinson’s 13-point deficit had been shaved to just five as they headed into the fourth quarter trailing 51-46.
Robinson opened the game’s final quarter the same way they had the quarter before, with a three from Ward, and tied the game 51-51 on the next possession with a transition layup from Donovan Kelly.
Plant City’s Damian Jones gave the Raiders their lead back on a tough layup, but Robinson answered with a bucket of their own. D.J. Haynes took the lead back with a pullup jumper on the next possession, but Robinson again answered with a free throw and a put back bucket after the second free throw clanged off the iron, giving the Knights their first lead of the game at 56-55.
With under three minutes left and the Raiders still trailing 61-60, Jones chased down a loose ball to keep it in bounds, made an amazing play to dribble through the double team and drive the lane, ultimately converting on the layup through contact and putting Plant City up 62-61 with 2:32 left in the contest.
Robinson tied the game with a free throw but the Raiders’ sophomore guard Mike Bell answered in a huge way with the biggest shot of the game, a corner three to put Plant City up 65-62 with 1:35 left. With under a minute left and the score the same, Robinson was forced to foul and Jones added two more points at the line, extending the Raiders lead to five and giving them their largest lead since Robinson had battled back to tie it early in the fourth.
Robinson cut the lead to three and had one last chance to tie it after two missed free throws from Plant City, but the Knights’ luck ran out as their final three point attempt wouldn’t fall and the Raiders escaped with the 71-66 victory, moving to 8-0 on the year.
Jones led all scorers in the contest with 25 points, followed by Haynes with 19 and Bell with 8.
Despite keeping their undefeated record alive on Friday, the Raiders dropped their first contest of the year on Saturday with a 66-57 loss at the hands of Wharton High School. Plant City will be back in action during the holiday break, kicking off tournament play in Fort Myers against Evangelical Christian on Monday, Dec. 27.