Frazier, Wolverines on mission for second title
Opponent in today’s 9A semifinal has 18 straight victories.
Trent Frazier hasn’t forgotten last year’s double-overtime loss to Coral Springs that knocked the Wellington boys basketball team out of the postseason.
In the aftermath of that regional finals loss, played on Wellington’s home court, a dejected Frazier was led to the locker room by coach Matt Colin.
The moment was captured on camera, and Frazier, a standout guard who hit the game-winning free throw a year before to lift the Wolverines to the Class 8A state championship, hung on to it.
“Our guys never forgot the hurt they felt after losing that game,” Colin said. “They used it as motivation to get us back into the final four. Trent especially remembers me picking him off the floor and taking him to the locker room. He kept that picture in his phone and sent it to all the players along with a message in our team group text that what happened last year will not happen again.”
The Wolverines kept their word.
With Frazier and guard Sage Chen-Young leading the way, the Wolverines rolled to an 82-62 victory over Coral Springs last Friday to clinch a berth in the state tournament.
The Wolverines (27-3) will play Kissimmee-Osceola at 6 tonight in a Class 9A state semifinal. The winner moves on to the state championship game Saturday.
Colin has high hopes for Welling ton, which lost a handful of key players to graduation last year, but c o a l e s c e d a r o u n d F r a - zier, an Illinois signee who is averaging 27.4 points and 6. 3 rebounds; and ChenYoung, a senior who is contributing 10.8 points and 6.4 assists per game.
“We still had a good foundation to work with,” said Colin, who is in his ninth season with the Wolverines. “It was just getting the new guys to work well with the guys that were already established varsity players.
“We worked very hard on team chemistry and having everyone play together for our goals.”
Winning a second state title has been a big goal for the Wolverines this season, but they will have to get past a talented Osceola team first.
T h e K o w b o y s ( 2 7- 2 ) , ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press state poll, have been dominant this year, particularly down the stretch.
Led by senior guard Brady Fernandes, who is averaging 17.2 points, and senior forward Tevin Florent, who is averaging 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds, Osceola has won 18 in a row dating to Dec. 29.
“They are big in height, play tough, pressure defense, are athletic and have a Division I player in Tevin Florent,” Colin said of the Kowboys. “They have only lost t wo games this season to two really good programs.”