Blanche Ely takes down Palm Beach Lakes
WEST PALM BEACH — Get ready for Blanche ElySt. Thomas Aquinas Round 4.
The Tigers took down Palm Beach Lakes 77-71 in Thursday’s Class 8A regional quarterfinals, setting up another rematch with St. Thomas Aquinas — which beat West Boca Raton 58-43 — in the regional semifinals.
St. Thomas beat Ely in the regional semifinals last year and took the district crown from the Tigers (21-8) this year.
“The girls are looking for that game,” Ely coach James Polk said. “It’s more of a getback game. We were in a hostile environment last week when we played them, and this is a real getback game for them because they hurdled us last year, so we want to get them back.”
Before the Tigers could get back at the Raiders, they needed to get past the Rams (22-3).
Lakes got out to an early lead, but Ely jumped ahead midway through the first quarter and never surrendered their lead.
The Rams kept it close through the first half, but the Tigers broke the game open in the third quarter and took a double-digit lead. Lakes got back within five points late in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback.
“Down the stretch, we had a few little tidbits of turnovers, but we wanted to make them make sure they secured the basketball,” Polk said.
Tigers sophomore guard Ja’Leah Williams, a Fab Five pick before the season, led the way with 23 points, while junior forward Jaylen Ponders notched 22.
“Ja’Leah Williams, our leader, stepped up tonight and was the ball controller,” Polk said, “but the rest of the players facilitated, and they played their role tonight.”
Brittany Wilcox led the Rams with 17, while Sh’Naya Anderson scored 15.
Now the Tigers can try to get revenge on the Raiders. The teams have faced each other three times this year, with St. Thomas winning all three.
But if Ely can win the next one, those three earlier losses will fade away.
“It would mean so much because this year we’re trying to make it to states,” Williams said. “We haven’t made it to states since [1992], and we’re trying to change that.”