Dr. Phillips overcomes foul trouble, pulls away from Miami with fourth quarter surge in Class 7A state semifinals

LAKELAND, Fla.- Getting into foul trouble wasn't apart of Anthony Jones' game plan for Thursday afternoon's Class 7A state semifinal. 

Regardless, his team is heading back to the state championship game once again. 

Fueled by a fourth quarter run, the Panthers pulled away from an upset-minded Miami Stingarees crew 40-31. Leading the way for Dr. Phillips was junior point guard Trinity Turner and sophomore forward Ronnice Berry, whom scored nine points apiece respectively. 

"It changed everything," Jones said about the foul issues. "We talked about all season about not getting in foul trouble. We're not as deep as we were last year, so if our first three to four players get in foul trouble, it really changes everything for the rest of the game. It's about being disciplined."

Scoring wasn't coming at a premium for either team as each club dug in defensively and Miami's plan was to get Dr. Phillips in foul trouble. Mission accomplished early on as Turner already had two personals after one quarter. 

That allowed for the Stingarees (23-6) to hang around the entire first half, with Miami eventually taking a 15-13 lead midway through the second quarter after a Sydney Wilson 3-pointer. Best case scenario for Miami occurred, taking an 18-17 lead into halftime. 

It was keeping that lead becoming the issue with one of the country's top programs. 

"The stud (Trinity Turner) getting two quick fouls, that kind of fell into our plan too," Miami head coach Sam Baumgarten said. "If I had a crystal ball and you would've told me we would have Dr. Phillips and 40 points at the end of the game, I would've told you we won."

What hindered Miami from making any serious type of run throughout the game was the lack of hitting from deep and knocking down free throws. The Stingrees ended the game going 2-of-17 from downtown and just 5-of-16 from the charity stripe. 

Proving to be the difference in the game was an early fourth quarter run by the Panthers (31-1). Up just 24-23 heading into the final quarter, Turner avoided getting another foul after the first quarter became a difference maker. Turner scored multiple times on putbacks in the run, giving Dr. Phillips a 32-23 lead before Miami scored again. 

"I was just trying to stay out of foul trouble," Turner said about the fourth quarter surge.

By that time, however, the Panthers had already taken control of the game's tempo. Dr. Phillips owned the boards, out-rebounding Miami 43-31 for the game. 

Winter Haven 61, Colonial 52

Reaching the state championship is always the goal for the Winter Haven Blue Devils. 

Friday afternoon, they secured a return to the state championship for the first time since winning it all back in 2018. The Blue Devils had strong performances from freshman guard Serenity Hardy (20 points) and senior guard Bre'Asia Washington (12 points) in the victory. 

Now Winter Haven sets its sights on winning the program's sixth ever state championship. 

"I told them it was going to be a huge battle," Winter Haven head coach Johnnie Lawson said. "Every time we played them, we know what it is. This is a chance now to go play for the championship."

It was a track meet-type of game between the two state powers as the matchup was the complete opposite of the earlier semifinal. Getting the ball into the basketball wasn't an issue for Winter Haven from the early going, racing out to a 19-9 lead after one period. 

Colonial (21-9) didn't let the jitters get to them and chipped away at the double-digit advantage. The Grenadiers crept their way back into the contest in the second quarter and got to within 26-23 before the Blue Devils went on a 7-2 run to close out the half. 

The contest became a one possession when Colonial's Milan Santos knocked down a 3-pointer and made it 35-34 Winter Haven. Colonial just could never get over the hump of getting the one extra basket they needed. 

Hardy, who's sister Trinity was apart of the Blue Devils' 3-peat state title run from 2016-2018, finished with a team-high 20 points and four rebounds. Colonial had a balanced scoring attack, with three players finishing in double digits and led by Jasmynne Gibson (12 points). 

The Blue Devils (24-4) hustled on the boards, collecting 37 rebounds despite turning over the basketball 16 times. Now Lawson and Winter Haven look to end the drought of state championships and will face Dr. Phillips on Saturday night at 8 p.m. for the Class 7A title. 

"I'm sitting on the bench and I'm like do I think about it with two minutes left to go?," Lawson said about the impending state championship matchup with Dr. Phillips. "You've got a coach on (Dr. Phillips) sideline that hasn't been given his due. (Anthony Jones) has won two national tournaments and he does not get the love he should."

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