It's not easy to advance in the high school playoffs. In many cases, just making it to the postseason tournament is an accomplishment, and for a school to get a single team to the playoffs is worth celebration.
But Wekiva High has two teams still playing in the FHSAA state tournament.
Today at 4PM the Wekiva High Girls Basketball team plays in the state semifinal game at the Lakeland Civic Center. Later that evening the boys play at home in the 9A regional final. The girls are two wins away from a state championship, the boys three.
The Wekiva girls used a 17-11 fourth-quarter run to beat visiting Port Orange Spruce Creek 60-51 in a Class 9A regional final last Friday night. The Mustangs made 10 of 16 free throws in the final eight minutes to clinch their third Final Four appearance the last four seasons.
E’toni Holloway scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead Wekiva. Alexis Choice added 12 points and Tyra Graham 10 for the Mustangs, who made eight three-point field goals.
Wekiva (22-8) advances to next week’s FHSAA state tournament in Lakeland. It will play Miami Ferguson (21-7) in a state semifinal next Friday at The Lakeland Center. Ferguson beat Miami Senior High 52-34 in its region final.
The Wekiva boys team improved its record to 24-5 in defeating the Boone High Braves 37-35 in the Class 9A, Region 1 semifinal game on Tuesday.
The Mustangs trailed 21-15 after a lackluster first half of scoring. That situation became even more alarming when they fell behind 29-20 halfway through the third quarter. However as they have done many times in this storybook season, Wekiva stormed back to tie the game 35-35 by the end of regulation. and shutout Boone in overtime and win off a single field goal by senior center Paul Reed in the extra period.
A single field goal by senior center Paul Reed early in the extra period didn't seem like an extremely significant moment in the game, but it turned out to be the game-winner as Wekiva held Boone scoreless throughout overtime. Reed's jumper turned out to be the only two points scored in the entire period.
Wekiva will return home against the Oviedo High Lions on Friday night at 7PM for a regional championship matchup. The winner punches its ticket to next week’s state tournament in Lakeland. High school basketball's Final Four.
Oviedo is 21-7 this season and defeated Flagler Palm Coast 59-52 last night to advance to the regional finals. The Lions and Mustangs have not played against each other this season.
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