Colonial rallies from huge deficit
Grenadiers come back from down 19 in district finals
Colonial rallied from a 19-point deficit Friday night to conclude a girls basketball district tournament week dominated by top seeds.
The Grenadiers (21-7) overcame a sporadic effort at the foul line and unforced errors in the first half to pull out a 73-69 win vs. visiting Hagerty (19-9) in the Class 7A District 3 final.
Four district champions per region advance to host quarterfinal playoff games Thursday.
The other four postseason spots in each region will be decided via at-large berths based on updated FHSAA power rankings.
Colonial entered districts ranked No. 2 in 7A behind Dr. Phillips by a 20.71 to 20.28 rating. DP (21-6) won the District 5 final 48-40 against Haines City (11-5) as sophomore Trinity Turner accounted for 17 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
“Our motto for today was, ‘It takes all of us’,” Colonial junior Milan Santos said. “All of us came together and we knew what we had to do, and we were able to get it done.”
After falling behind 54-35 midway through the third quarter, Colonial shook off a shooting slump and elevated its play on defense
while chipping away at the Huskies.
Sophomore Carmen Richardson scored at the buzzer to get the Grenadiers closer at 61-48. By the time Hagerty junior Kiara Harris fouled out with 5:22 remaining — after dropping 22 points — Richardson and senior center Jaiden Ross had Colonial on a 10-0 run to start the fourth to make it 61-58, scoring every point in that stretch.
A bucket by Ross and 3-pointer by Santos gave Colonial its first lead since late in the first quarter at 63-62 with 4:05 to go. The advantage was fleeting though as Hagerty junior Hannah Kohn, who connected on six 3s in the first half and led all scorers with 37 points, answered with a three-point play at the other end.
Santos promptly knocked down a jumper to tie it at 65-65, but Richardson picked up her fifth and final foul to put the comeback in doubt with 3:15 left.
“That was hard, but I knew my teammates could finish it off and get the win,” said Richardson, who made five 3s and finished with 29 points.
Kohn knocked down two free throws and converted from the field to put the Huskies up 69-65. Backto-back 3s by Santos and senior Camila Zbynski gave Colonial the lead for good at 71-69 with 2:22 left. The Grenadiers kept the ball out of Hagerty’s reach until the final seconds.
“I felt extremely overwhelmed, but I was ready to go out there and make some big shots,” Santos said of the final quarter. “I knew what I had to do, so I went out there and executed it.”
Santos scored 8 of her 12 points in the fourth. Ross finished with 17 points.
Freedom (16-9) relied on 19 points from freshman Olivia Staples and 13 points from junior Josephine Rose to hold off Lake Nona (10-16) for a 48-42 win in 7A District 9.
Lake Nona was led by freshman Holland Harris with 18 points.
Wekiva (21-2), which ranks No. 2 in Class 6A, snapped an 18-game win streak for East River (18-2) to prevail 51-38. Sophomore standout Jada Eads was nursing an injury and played sparingly for the Mustangs. Seniors Shaniyah McCarthy and Rylan Moffitt each scored 14 points and combined for 14 rebounds and 7 assists.
St. Cloud (18-8) also won a district title in 6A as sophomore guard Emily Lockey tallied 29 points during a 71-33 win over Clermont East Ridge (12-11).
Lake Highland Prep (20-4), the overall No. 1 team in the state, made easy work of first-year program Horizon (12-11) in 4A, 89-18. Nyla Harris came away with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Lexi Blue added 17 points.
Senior guard Ajalon Gillard scored 19 points and grabbed 10 steals for Foundation Academy (18-7) during a 75-18 thumping of Windermere Prep (10-12) in 3A.
Faith Christian (23-4) will likely remain atop the 2A standings entering regionals after winning its first district title since 2009.
The Lions celebrated a 69-44 triumph Thursday vs. Orlando Christian Prep (9-10) as sophomores Dezmariah Soto (23 points), Camryn Patterson (13 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists) and Celina Forine (12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals) led the
way.
District final results
7A-3: No. 1 Colonial 73, No. 2 Hagerty 69
7A-4: No. 1 Apopka 43, No. 2 Oak Ridge 26
7A-5: No. 1 Dr. Phillips 48, No. 2 Haines City 40
7A-9: No. 1 Freedom 48, No. 2 Lake Nona 42
6A-5: No. 1 Wekiva 51, No. 2 East River 38
6A-6: No. 1 St. Cloud 71, No. 3 Clermont East Ridge 33
5A-4: No. 1 Daytona Beach Mainland 57, No. 2 Deltona 29
5A-7: No. 3 Lake Wales 56, No. 4 Gateway 40
4A-5: No. 1 Eustis 77, No. 2 The Villages 45
4A-6: No. 1 Lake Highland Prep 89, No. 2 Horizon 18
3A-4: No. 1 Foundation Academy 75, No. 2 Windermere Prep 18
2A-5: No. 1 Ocala Meadowbrook 47, No. 3 Mount Dora Christian 39
2A-6: No. 1 Calvary Christian 61, No. 3 Lake Mary Prep 30
2A-7: No. 1 Central Florida Christian 52, No. 2 Geneva 23
2A-8: No. 1 Faith Christian 69, No. 2 Orlando Christian Prep 44