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Cougars Stay On The Ball

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By DAREK SHARP

dsharp@tampatrib.com

Published: December 24, 2008

PLANT CITY - As well as the Durant High Cougars have played this boys basketball season, it would be no fun to take a long holiday break.

Durant is keeping busy by playing in two tournaments this month, with a return trip to the Big Blue Classic in Winter Haven coming next week.

"They have good crowds at the Big Blue, and the games are usually pretty exciting," said Durant head coach Jeff Shotwell, whose team has been pretty fun to watch as well. Durant was off to a 6-1 start heading into last weekend's trip to the Alonso Holiday Tournament.

The Cougars won their first three games in District 6A-8 play, a sign the Cougars are set to challenge for a playoff spot. Durant hasn't been to the basketball playoffs since 2003.

"I wouldn't consider us a favorite, since we haven't won a district tournament game the last two years, but are we capable of winning the district? Certainly," Shotwell said.

Standing in the way are teams such as Lakeland, Sarasota Riverview and Plant City, but the Cougars have been a force. Although the strong play of senior forward A.J. Garden was expected, fellow starters Jordan Mitchell and Andre Nation have surpassed expectations.

Nation, the team's 6-foot-2-inch power forward, has battled Garden for the team scoring lead as a sophomore.

"Andre Nation is probably the best player in this area that nobody knows about," Shotwell said. "But that will take care of itself in a short period of time the way he is playing. He changes the game on both ends of the floor."

Mitchell, the point guard, has done a better job scoring and been great at not turning the ball over. And as a leader, Shotwell said, Mitchell has been the best in recent years at Durant.

Garden set the Durant High career scoring mark when he put up 26 points in a 69-42 win at Spoto on Dec. 13. That output gave Garden 1,178 career points.

Monday at 2 p.m. the Cougars will take on Lake Region at the Big Blue Classic, hosted by Winter Haven High. On Tuesday the Cougars will face Lake Gibson at 12:30 p.m., and the following day Durant takes on Auburndale at 5 p.m.

"It's nice for us as the style of play in Polk County is a little different," Shotwell said. "A lot of extended defenses and up-tempo style of play. So we look forward to that and are thankful for the invitation."

The Plant City High boys basketball team is also staying busy during the holiday season. For the second year in a row, the Raiders are heading to Orlando to play in the KSA Holiday Classic, coach Dale Chambers said.

The team will face Los Alamitos High School in California on Friday, then face either Niceville or Coventry High from Rhode Island on Monday. Other teams in the Raiders' bracket include state powerhouse Edgewater High from Orlando and teams from California, New York and Ohio.

"Last year we went over there, and though we got beat, it was a good experience," Chambers said. "We'll again see a lot of different styles of play and that can only help us."

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