Basketball Recap: Lakewood Ranch Takes a Tough Playoff Loss

Lakewood Ranch and Manatee squared off in some playoff action on Monday, but Lakewood Ranch had to settle for second. They came up short against the Manatee Hurricanes, falling 92-67. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 597th, while the Hurricanes are ranked 290th).

Greg Dauer

Points

02/03/25 vs Manatee	24
11/19/24 @ Bayshore	14
12/05/24 vs Parrish Community	11
12/11/24 @ Cardinal Mooney	9
12/03/24 vs Manatee	9

Despite the defeat, Lakewood Ranch saw an underclassman step up: freshman Greg Dauer dropped a double-double on 24 points and 14 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Dauer has scored all season. Jack Silver also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.

Even though they lost, Lakewood Ranch smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive matchups.

Tatum Spikes was nothing short of spectacular for Manatee: he almost dropped a double-double on 31 points and nine assists. Spikes has become a key player for Manatee: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 20 points, but 10-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Keith Fields, who went 7 for 12 to rack up 17 points in addition to six assists and three steals.

Lakewood Ranch has traveled a rocky road recently having lost 11 of their last 12 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-20 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.3 points over those games. As for Manatee, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-11.

Lakewood Ranch does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Manatee, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 67-52 loss against Charlotte on the 5th.