Boys basketball | Class 3A state semifinal
Who: Shorecrest (25-4) vs. Tampa Prep (26-3)
When/where: 4 p.m. Tuesday; the Lakeland Center
Admission: $10 per session; parking is $8 per day.
Coaches: Shorecrest — Daryl Blume (fifth season, 98-36); Tampa Prep — Joe Fenlon (31st season, 669-251)
Players to watch: Shorecrest — G Brady Grimm, Jr. (22.3 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.1 spg); G Tyee Johnson, So. (9.0 ppg, 2.0 apg); F Jay Joyer, Sr. (13.5 ppg, 11.2 rpg). Tampa Prep — F Juwan Durham, So. (21.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 5.8 bpg); G Michael Fridella, Jr. (12.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg); G Yoni Wasser, Sr. (4.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.5 apg).
Common opponents: Carrollwood Day — The Terrapins beat CDS twice (66-23 and 57-21), while Shorecrest Prep won 75-19 in November. Jesuit — Tampa Prep knocked off the Tigers 56-40 on Jan. 4. The Chargers took a 69-68 victory in November. Berkeley Prep — Tampa Prep and Berkeley split their meetings; the Terrapins won the first matchup 56-34 but lost the second, 68-66. Shorecrest lost its only game against the Bucs 62-41.
Head to head: Tampa Prep beat the Chargers 59-52 on Dec. 28 at the Shorecrest Holiday Tournament. The Terrapins outscored Shorecrest 16-4 in the fourth quarter, and Durham hit a game-sealing jumper in the final minute. Durham finished with 17 points and was the tournament’s MVP. Jay Joyer scored 15 in the loss.
Shorecrest quick hits: After 17 straight losing seasons, the Chargers have gone through a remarkable transformation under coach Daryl Blume, with five straight playoff appearances, including their second state semifinal berth during that span. …Shorecrest has already set the school record for wins in a single season (25) and the four losses came against teams that made the state semifinals (Berkeley Prep in 4A, Tampa Prep in 3A), region finals (St. Petersburg in 8A) or region semifinals (Strawberry Crest in 7A). …Marcus Blake had his best game of the season in the region final against Naples First Baptist with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six steals. …Johnson, who came back from ACL surgery last season, is averaging 12 points in his last eight games.
Tampa Prep quick hits: The 6-foot-9 Durham is one of the country’s top sophomores and holds offers from Florida, Indiana and Louisville, among many others. …Tampa Prep enters on a five-game win streak after falling to Berkeley. That streak includes a 53-49 win over Orlando First Academy in last week’s region final. …This is Tampa Prep’s sixth trip to state since 2007. Wasser is the only remaining player who saw much playing time during the Terrapins’ run to the 2012 state title. …Sharpshooter Taz Strauch is averaging only 7.0 points per game but is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range.
Quotables:“The last time we got to this point (in 2012), it was our first time in the state semifinals and maybe we were in a little bit of awe. I don’t think anyone will feel overwhelmed this time. The players all are confident and feel like we belong.” — Blume
“This will be a great matchup. We had our hands full the first time we played. The teams that we’ve lost to this season (Berkeley Prep, Community School of Naples and Tampa Catholic) all play a similar style as Shorecrest. We’ve been playing very well, but if they’re able to hit shots from the outside, it could be tough.” — Fenlon
Bob Putnam and Matt Baker, Times staff writers