Basketball Recap: Poinciana Falls Short of Sarasota in the Playoffs

Poinciana and Sarasota squared off in some playoff action on Wednesday, but Poinciana had to settle for second. They came up short against the Sarasota Sailors, falling 81-58. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 220th, while the Sailors are ranked 47th).

Javonte Simpson-Lee

Rebounds

02/12/25 vs Sarasota	10
02/06/25 vs Osceola	10
02/04/25 vs Davenport	14
01/31/25 @ Foundation Academy	20
01/29/25 @ Dr. Phillips	17
+ 22 more games

Poinciana's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Javonte Simpson-Lee, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and ten boards. Simpson-Lee is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Ernest Nunn was another key player, putting up 15 points.

Sarasota found their leader in sophomore John Lackaff, who went 10-for-15 en route to 30 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Oliver Boyle, who went 5-for-11 on his way to 11 points along with seven boards and five assists.

Poinciana has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which has put a noticeable dent in their 16-11 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.2 points over those games. As for Sarasota, the victory was the 16th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 26-2.

Poinciana does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Sarasota, they will square off against Plant City at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Sarasota knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 16 contests -- so hopefully Plant City likes a good challenge.