- April 26, 2024
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Christian Shaneyfelt gets fouled by a Venice defender.
Senior Damien Gordon drives the baseline. He finished with six points on the night.
Senior Evan Spiller evades a Venice defender for a layup. Spiller finished with eight points.
Senior Jack Kelley flies through the Venice defense for a layup.
Senior Jack Kelley fights through traffic in the paint after grabbing a rebound. Kelley finished with eight points.
Sophomore guard Christian Perez floats a shot over the Venice defense. Perez scored two points.
Sophomore Christian Shaneyfelt lines up a three-point attempt. He had 11 points on the night.
Sophomore Keon Buckley hits a reverse layup attempt. He finished with 12 points, the most on the Mustangs.
Evan Spiller shoots a free throw in the second quarter.
Damien Gordon adjusts in the air to hit a finger roll.
Christian Shaneyfelt dribbles around a Venice guard in the second half.
Junior guard Mark Caraher sinks a shot in the third quarter of the district championship game.
The Mustangs jump around after winning the district title.
Lakewood Ranch defeated Venice 71-38 for its third-straight district title.
The Class 8A-11 district championship game wasn't in doubt for long.
Lakewood Ranch High (24-4) started fast and never slowed, beating visiting Venice High 71-38 for its third-straight title. The Mustangs have now won 36 straight games against district opponents dating back to Feb. 2015.
It was a team effort offensively. Only two Mustangs, sophomores Keon Buckley (12) and Christian Shaneyfelt (11), scored double-digits, but 11 different players got on the scoreboard. Coach Jeremy Schiller rested his key players in the fourth quarter.
Schiller said earlier this week, he divided his team and staff in two: People who had won a district title previously, and people who had not. He's going to do the same thing next week, he said, and he can't wait to have everyone stand on the same side this time.
"You never really know what to expect in a district championship," Schiller said. "I trust our guys and I know what we are going to do consistently, but you never know what the other team is going to do. I thought they would come out, be more aggressive and come at us. By slowing down the game, it gave us confidence because of the way we attacked."
Schiller added that he's proud of the way his team has played thus far, but knows there's another step it needs to reach if it wants to win a state title.
"We still haven't clicked on all cylinders for a single game, and we're going to need it," Schiller said. "I'm going to do everything I can to help them get there."
The Mustangs will host Riverdale High (16-9) on Feb. 22 in the regional quarterfinals.
