Osceola’s high-pressure defense and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch Monday was enough to overcome a six-point fourth-quarter deficit for the Kowboys to defeat Plant, 75-66.
Osceola (25-3) has won seven in a row and now hosts Sarasota (27-2) in Thursday’s 7 p.m. Region 7A-3 final for a spot in the Class 7A Final Four.
“We started off really fast tonight, but we seemed to take our foot off the gas and maybe we got a little complacent at the same time,” Osceola Coach Steve Mason said. “But when the game was on the line, this team did what it has done all season: ramp up the pressure on defense and make the plays we need to win.”
Osceola jumped in front quickly as Helio Quinlan buried three consecutive three-pointers and the Kowboys forced four early turnovers to build a 13-0 lead before Plant (21-8) hoisted its second field goal attempt. Plant did settle in and after a couple of three pointers by Blake Williams cut Osceola’s lead to 22-13 after one.
Plant’s offense heated up and Osceola’s went cold as the Panthers used a 15-4 run to take a 28-26 lead at the 2:30 mark of the second. Osceola hit just two field goals in the quarter and trailed at the half, 32-28.
“After we took the big lead at the beginning of the game, Plant dropped into a zone defense and we simply weren’t patient enough in attacking it,” Mason said. “We settled for threes and some other awkward shots. But give them a lot of credit too, they are a really solid team. Their guards were excellent, they made some great passes and they sort of controlled the game for the second and third quarters.”
The Kowboys trailed by as many as seven in the third quarter but fought back to tie it at 33-33 on Quinlan’s fourth three-pointer. Still, Plant stayed patient, worked the ball inside for layups and led 47-44 after three.
Osceola ratcheted up the pressure in the fourth. Jordan Mason hit a three and followed it up with a couple of big steals, a layup and an assist, Luke McCrimon scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Quinlan hit another big three as the Kowboys outscored the Panthers 31-19 to cruise to the nine-point win.
Free throw shooting was key. The Kowboys hit 14-of-17 of them in the fourth quarter and 18-of-23 in the game. McCrimon was 7-of-9 from the line and Jordan Isaac 6-of-6 in that decisive fourth quarter.
“When they got down by six, they were forced to foul and fortunately we hit the free throws,” Mason added.
In addition to McCrimon’s 20, Mason led the Kowboys with 21 and Quinlan tallied 17.
“Jordan’s quickness and ability to drive the ball were big keys in the fourth quarter,” Coach Mason said. “Helio was absolutely huge for us. Forget for a moment his 17 points, his five threes, the key rebounds and a couple of blocked shots. He does so much more for us on the floor that doesn’t show up in the box score. He took a couple of big charges tonight and he plays such tough defense and alters opponent’s shots. We do not win without his efforts.”
Plant was led by Brandon Galuski (16), Mathias Johnson (15), and Williams (11).
Osceola faces a Sarasota Sailers team Thursday that has won 17 straight games dating back to Dec. 19. They both beat common opponents Poinciana and Sarasota Riverview. Sarasota’s line-up features four players 6-4 or taller, led by 6-5 point guard Josh Harris (20.1 points per game) and 6-4 forward Rhys Gamble (10.4 ppg).
“They’re obviously a very talented team that will present a great challenge to us,” Mason said. “I’m not too concerned about the size differential because a lot of our opponents have had a height advantage on us this year. We have a group of guys that play high-level basketball year round. Between high school, summer and travel ball this team has had a ton of experience playing great teams, so we won’t be intimidated. It should be a great game and hopefully our fans will come out in big numbers and support us.”
Osceola last reached a regional final in 2022, where they lost to Lake Worth 75-57. They last won a regional championship game in 2019 against Oak Ridge en route to the Class 9A state championship, the Kowboys last one.
St. Cloud (24-5), after winning its first-ever regional playoff game last week, fell Monday to Windermere, 60-41, ending likely its best season ever.
Osceola could be one of three Orange-Seminole-Osceola teams to play in the state tournament at Lakeland. Windermere faces Oak Ridge in the Region 2 final, and Seminole and Apopka face off in Region 1. Miami Columbus (25-3), which hasn’t lost to a Florida opponent all year, is the Region 4 favorite.
