Boys basketball | Suncoast exacts comprehensive revenge on reigning state champions

RIVIERA BEACH — Suncoast High's boys basketball team, overshadowed by Class 7A powers Lake Worth and Dwyer for most of the season, may have the best chance to bring a state championship home to Palm Beach County.

The Chargers, who have been nearly unbeatable since the holiday break, scored the first 12 points of the game and rolled to a 72-55 victory over visiting Fort Lauderdale-Stranahan on Friday night to capture the District 14-5A championship.

Suncoast (21-5) will host a Region 4-5A quarterfinal on Thursday as the likely No. 2 seed. The opponent will be determined this weekend.

"We're excited to be playing at home in front of our crowd," Suncoast head coach Jason Powell said. "We don't know who we play yet but we're just waiting on the opportunity."

Senior forward Nate Sasser scored 26 points to lead the Chargers, who have won 14 of their last 15 games, losing only a 46-45 decision to Dwyer. The Dragons (17-10) made several runs in the second half but could get no closer than seven points.

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Here are three takeaways from the game:

Revenge ... or no revenge?

In last year's district final, Stranahan edged Suncoast 58-57 in overtime, a loss made more painful by the fact that the Dragons went on to win a state championship.

Powell downplayed the revenge angle — but his players didn't.

"We didn't need the motivation of who we were playing," Powell said. "We know it's playoff time right now, so we're just trying to get a gauge on ourselves and all the hard work that we've put in this year. We're just trying to get ourselves ready for this run."

Sasser and junior point guard Stone Bureau saw things a little differently.

"They beat us last year, so we were out for blood," said Sasser, who missed last year's game with an injury. "That was extra motivation for us. We really wanted it tonight."

Bureau, who scored 15 points and dished out numerous assists, added: "Last year we lost by one point, so I really wanted it. The district championship is back where it's supposed to be. We're going to use this game as motivation."

Attack mode

That's when Sasser took matters into his own hands. Driving hard to the basket, he scored on three straight possessions over the third and fourth periods, all from close range. After a Stranahan basket, Sasser banked in a short jumper to make it 55-45.

Stranahan's 3-point shooters heated up in the second half, allowing the Dragons to cut the deficit to seven points on two occasions.

"Nate kind of took over in some areas of the game and then Stone took over late in the game," Powell said. "We just went with the hot hand at the time, and we went on matchups — we saw who was guarding who and we kind of took advantage of that to get the open look."

Bureau had two baskets and two free throws to help the Chargers close on a 12-3 run.

"They had a lot of fouls," he said. "If we didn't score, we were at least going to get a foul."

Junior guard Joseph Renna hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch and finished with 14 points. Ian Smikle, a 6-foot-9 junior center, didn't have a big scoring night but clogged the middle and dominated the boards.

Win or go home

The Chargers — and probably the Dragons, who entered the district tournament as the No. 5 seed in Region 4-5A — now move into single-elimination play.

Because Suncoast is in Class 5A, it won't have to face the gauntlet of powerhouses awaiting Lake Worth and Dwyer in Class 7A, so a state championship might be more within the Chargers' reach. They prepared for a playoff run by scheduling a number of bigger schools, including Jupiter, Wellington, Palm Beach Lakes and Dwyer.

Miami-Belen Jesuit entered district play as the No. 1 seed in Region 4-5A and Suncoast was No. 2. Those teams are also 1-2 in the entire state among 5A schools.

Belen beat Suncoast in the regional quarterfinals last year, then lost to Stranahan, which went on to add another state title to the one it won in 2020.

"We've got the toughest region in the class," Powell said. "Hopefully we've learned from our mistakes the previous year."

Suncoast also will host a regional semifinal game if it wins Thursday. A rematch with Stranahan is a possibility.

"We're ready to take them on again," Bureau said. "We'll take on anybody right now. This is real sweet — revenge feels real good."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Suncoast basketball exacts revenge on reigning state champs Stranahan