Boys basketball | Lakewood Ranch's Evan Spiller keys Mustangs' region semifinal victory one day after losing grandmother
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- The lead was shrinking quickly when sophomore guard Evan Spiller provided the pivotal moment.
It came just a day after his grandmother, Grace Marques, passed away.
But Spiller shook away the emotions to jump a passing lane, steal the ball, dribble toward the rim and launch himself into the air for a collision on a layup attempt.
The ball found the net and the Lakewood Ranch crowd erupted.
Following Spiller's basket and foul shot, the Mustangs (23-5) distanced themselves enough from visiting Fort Myers Riverdale to earn a 57-44 victory in Tuesday's Class 7A-Region 3 boys basketball semifinal.
"It was huge," said Mustangs head coach Jeremy Schiller about Spiller's key play. "We talk about toughness a lot. Young man lost his grandmother on Monday. ... He's been dealing with her being sick and to come through in a big game after losing your grandmother, who you are close to ... is unbelievable. I guess it's unbelievable to the outside. It's normal for us. He's just a tough, tough kid."
The win propels the Mustangs into their first region final, which takes place Friday at St. Petersburg High.
On Tuesday, though, it wasn't always clear Lakewood Ranch was getting past Riverdale.
The Mustangs held a five-
point halftime cushion, before the Raiders cut the deficit to two.
Spiller made the first of his two field goals on the night with 3 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Then the key play that shifted the momentum entirely occurred when Spiller dropped a lay-up and free throw following a steal near midcourt with 2:57 left in the third period.
"I just have to make the layup," said Spiller, who added four rebounds. "If I get hurt, I get hurt."
Spiller said his grandmother was with him through the entire game.
"She was always there for me and I was always there for her," Spiller said. "I'll never forget the last Christmas we just had. We just had a special moment giving her family pictures."
That close bond is something he also has with the Mustangs basketball team, which interchanges players at a high rate without any drop-off or hanging heads.
"If one guy misses a box out, we sub somebody in and the next guy gets the box out," Schiller said. "It's different than other people. A lot of teams, when they get subbed out the kid gets upset. This guy is high-fiving, hug and move on to the next play." Spiller's big play buoyed the Mustangs into a 19-point lead with roughly 6:30 remaining in the game.
Behind Dean Wilson's quick eight points, Riverdale trimmed that deficit down to 11, but the Mustangs stayed poised in the late game free throw parade.
They made 6 of 7 free throws in the final minute, while Damien Gordon also added a field goal during the stretch to ice the game. Gordon finished with a team-high 17 points. He also had four steals.
Wilson paced Riverdale with 19 points. Lakewood Ranch also received double-digit scoring from Sam Hester (10 points). The Mustangs shot 7-for-30 on 3-point attempts, but still shot 40.8 percent from the field. They also held Riverdale to 25.5 percent shooting from the floor.
Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017. Follow him on Twitter @Jason__Dill and like his Facebook page.
This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Boys basketball | Lakewood Ranch's Evan Spiller keys Mustangs' region semifinal victory one day after losing grandmother ."