MIAMI, Fla. – Less then 24 hours after being granted a temporary injunction by Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Spencer Eig, the
Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) boys basketball team embraced a more familiar type of court on Thursday night as it defeated Carol City (Miami) 56-53 in the first round of the district playoffs.
Senior guard
Angel Rodriguez led the Lightning (21-3) with a game-high 29 points as they were able to hold off a late 12-8 run by the Chiefs. Rodriguez, a Kansas State University commit, was clutch for Krop with a minute left in the fourth quarter after going 6-for-6 from the free throw line, including a nifty reverse lay-up that helped the Lightning take a 52-48 lead.
Rodriguez's efforts were needed by his team as the Chiefs were on a hot streak hitting 4 of 5 shots from three-point range. Junior guard Deandre Burnett, who entered the game averaging 24.2 points per game, led the Chiefs with 19 points, including a huge 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left that cut the deficit to 54-53.
Rodgriguez, who earned the Class 6A Player of the Year award last season after leading the Lightning to their first state final four, hit two free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
"It wasn't a typical performance by us," says Krop Head Coach Marcos Rodriguez. "I think we will be a lot better on Saturday. It's just good to get this one out of the way."
The Lightning, who plays Hialeah Miami-Lakes on Saturday, added another impressive win to an already amazing season in which they defeated then-No. 2 Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) 70-63 and had a 21-point romp over Austin Rivers, arguably the nation's top player, and defending Class 6A state champion Winter Park. The win was also impressive considering the emotional carousel the team was on for most of the week.
Krop had to forfeit 19 games, including the district and state post season, after the Florida High School Athletics Association upheld an eligibility ruling against its senior guard
Bryan Delancy on Tuesday. The injunction came as a result of two players, along with Delancy, who decided to sue the FHSAA.
See more on the on the events leading up to Thursday's games
here and
here.
