Wekiva, Boone: same goals, different styles
Wekiva and Boone, two senior-heavy teams that missed out on boys basketball region play last season, are enjoying that ride this year.
Neither wants the clock to run out. But only the winner in tonight’s Class 9A, Region 1 semifinal showdown stays on the road to Lakeland.
Wekiva (23-5), ranked No. 5 in the Sentinel Super 16, plays at No. 7 Boone (21-7) in a 7 p.m. game.
“It’s the last game for one of us, but I don’t want my guys to play to that,” said Wekiva coach Gersino Lubin. “Just play basketball.”
That’s not always easy against Boone, which can slow the pace with heady guards Sean Halloran and Justin Butler helping dictate the tempo.
“We have to be disciplined to defend while they run their stuff for 35 to 40 seconds, and they do it very well,” Lubin said. “Asking teenagers to be patient isn’t easy.”
Wekiva counters with quickness on the perimeter and arguably the area’s best big man in 6-foot-8 DePaul commit Paul Reed.
“Paul is a matchup nightmare,” said Boone coach Dave Martinson. “But if you focus on trying to hold him to less than what he usually gets they seem to always have somebody else who steps up and hurts you.
“That shows you they are well-coached and have good chemistry.”
The Braves and the Mustangs haven’t played since they split two games in the 2012-13 season. Boone prevailed in the regular-season encounter but Wekiva won the region quarterfinal rematch 59-44 at Boone en route to a region runner-up finish that is the deepest playoff advance in program history.
Region semifinal winners in the four largest classifications, 5A through 9A, advance to finals on Friday night. Teams in the four lower classes, 1A through 4A, are in region finals tonight, so the survivors earn tickets to next week’s FHSAA state tournament in Lakeland.
Here are Tuesday’s other games involving area schools. All games start at 7 p.m.
Admission is $7.
Eagles defeated Deltona for state semifinal berth two years ago. Last season it was Wolves making state. Visiting Yellow Jackets on 12-game win streak. Terriers seek first elite eight berth since 1990.
Eight of nine losses for 2016 Class 3A state champ Lakers are to stateranked teams. This is first region semi for Villages.
CFCA no longer has to deal with OCP in 2A, but five-time state champ Falcons now stand between Eagles and state tourney.
No. 1 in 1A, Wildwood looks to make state for first time since it was 2A semifinalist in 1994.