Plant dominates Venice in final quarter, advances to Class 7A, Region 3 final

The Panthers go on a 16-0 run to start the fourth quarter and roll into Friday's Class 7A, Region 3 final to face Winter Haven

TAMPA, Fla.- Every bit of determination and heart was needed on Valentine's Day between Plant and Venice. 

With a spot in Friday's Class 7A, Region 3 final on the line, both teams left it all out on the court. The decisive difference would be a 16-0 run by Plant in the fourth quarter. 

The Panthers dominated the final period, getting big time shots from senior forward Morgan Sieper, en route to a 72-47 Class 7A Region 3 semifinal victory over the Indians. Plant will face Winter Haven, 63-39 winners over Sarasota Riverview, on Friday night in the region final. 

"We struggled for a lot of the game to run our offense the way we intend to run it," Plant head coach Carrie Mahon said. "It just opened up in the fourth quarter for us. The cuts were there. The shots were there. The defense was incredible."

Photo by Alex Walworth

Timely 3-pointers from Plant's Julia Miller were crucial in the opening quarter. Miller connected on a shot from downtown to put the Panthers out in front 11-4 early on and later hit another in the first period. 

Venice, riding a 12-game winning streak heading in, struggled to snag rebounds all night long. The Indians (20-6) despite the issues in the paint, were able to get within one possession at 25-22 last in the second quarter. The teams entered intermission with Plant leading 28-24. 

Photo by Alex Walworth

The efforts of the O'Leary sisters for Venice of Tessa and Zoe kept Venice in the game throughout the first three quarters. The sister duo combined for 17 points on the night, but it wouldn't be enough down the stretch. 

Dynamic play from Plant's backcourt was not only evident via points, but through second, third and even fourth chance opportunities. Guard activity in the painted area for Plant (25-4) was on full display with sophomore Azzariah Styles (14 points) and Tanner Strickland (seven points) leading the way. 

"That's one of our strengths is being active on the offensive boards," Mahon said. "It's not always a traditional rebound. Sometimes it's a tip or a tap. Sometimes someone swooping into the paint to grab a rebound.The guards are really active that way."

After a Nicole Beatty 3-pointer that closed the gap at 44-39 to start the fourth period, that's when Plant went on a seemingly unstoppable run. The Panthers reeled off 16 straight points, with multiple shots from downtown by Sieper, who is a Southern Miss signee and finished with a game-high 18 points. When the Indians finally stopped the run, Plant was up 60-41 with 3:33 left in the game. 

"I mean, it's easy to play with my teammates," Sieper said. "They give me the ball and I share the ball early and later in the game. When stuff opens up in the game, they're going to share it like I do for them. It's just good to have the support of knowing you're open that you are going to get the ball and do the same for them."

Photo by Alex Walworth

The Indians are sophomore-heavy team under head coach Jeremy Martin. Venice should return the O'Leary twins and the Martin believes his team will be back in the same position come next year and the season after. 

"We couldn't rebound for sure," Martin said. "(Plant) a senior heavy team. I've got all sophomores. We knew we were going to struggle a little bit with the physicality. They're well coached and disciplined. We gave them everything we had and we just ran out of gas. I thought we played fine with the speed, just the physicality got us a little bit. I'm excited for next year and the year after. We're going to be something to reckon with."

Plant-Venice game photos 2-14-2023

Photo by Alex Walworth

Photo by Alex Walworth

Photo by Alex Walworth

Game photo gallery shot by SBLive Sports photographer Alex Walworth 

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.