Furious rally vaults Ely into title game

Tigers did not take lead until final 3.8 seconds of game

Blanche Ely led Friday’s Class 8A semifinal against Windermere for exactly 3.8 seconds.

Fortunately for the Tigers, it was the last 3.8 seconds.

Ely, which trailed by 15 points at halftime, launched a ferocious second-half comeback to beat Windermere 56-54 in the state semifinals at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland and earn a spot in Saturday’s Class 8A title game.

“We have a phrase that we use: ‘piece by piece,’ ” Tigers coach Melvin Randall said. “So that’s what we were doing: taking advantage of it piece by piece until we got that point.”

Ely struggled mightily in the first half.

It missed its first nine shots of the game before finally sinking one. The Tigers finished the first quarter with only two baskets on 15 field-goal attempts. That allowed the Wolverines to get out to a 15-3 lead, and they maintained an edge held steady for the remainder of the first half.

“The guys stepped to the challenge we gave them in the locker room at halftime,” Randall said. “I’m sure you saw a difference … We started doing the things that we were asking them to do rather than just going out on a limb and playing individual basketball. We started playing team ball — Tiger basketball.”

Ely steadily chipped away at Windermere’s lead, narrowing it to seven points by the end of the third quarter. Junior Tyrecke Francois played a major role in closing the gap, knocking down four second-half 3-pointers.

“My team trusts me,” Francois said. “I just have to show up every day, every game, and give it all I got. And that’s what I did.”

The final blow came from junior forward Malachi Hazelton, who led the Tigers with 14 points. His final two came at the free-throw line with 3.8 seconds left in the game. He drained both shots to put his team ahead for the first time.

“Every time it comes down to crunch time,” Hazelton said, “I just think we’re in the gym at practice and tone everything out.”

Ely will play Bradenton Lakewood Ranch in the Class 8A title game Saturday at 4:30 as the Tigers try to win the program’s eighth championship and second in a row.

“I’m just glad to say we have shooting practice in the morning,” Randall said.

ADAM LICHTENSTEIN/SUN SENTINEL Blanche Ely’s Lamont Evans (33) hugs a teammate after the Tigers came back from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat Windermere in the Class 8A state semifinals in Lakeland.