By Kyle LoJacono
The Academy at the Lakes girls basketball team won its third district title in as many years Feb. 1 with a 75-15 victory over Cambridge at home in the 2A-8 final.
This from a team that went 0-15 just three seasons ago.
The Wildcats’ (22-2) transformation started when Karim Nohra took over for the 2010-11 season, bringing with him a new set of expectations.
“The process has been very simple; we just made them work harder than they ever have before in their life,” Nohra said.
The academy reached the Class 2A state semifinals last year, but had to replace four starters because of graduation.
The starting lineup got a big boost from 6-foot-2 Tatiana Manuel, who transferred from Brooks-Debartolo. The senior center said Nohra’s coaching is very different from anything she’s experienced before.
“He taught me a lot of things I didn’t know,” said Manuel, who scored her 1,000th career point against Cambridge. “Considering the fact that I’m a senior, he taught me a lot that I should have known.”
The playoff run will be the first for Manuel and Timecia Cohen. The senior point guard transferred from Tampa Bay Tech as a junior, but missed all of last year with a torn ACL in her right knee.
“It’s very exciting for me,” Cohen said. “I went to all the playoff games last year with the team, but I couldn’t play. Getting back is pretty amazing, and I’m pushing the other girls hard so we get back to states.”
Nohra has led his teams to 15 postseason berths in his 23 years coaching, but said it’s still a thrill for him every time.
“I’ve been to this playoff thing many a years,” Nohra said. “If it’s not a thrill for them, then heck, they shouldn’t be playing.”
The Wildcats were able to qualify for their third straight postseason with a 64-2 dismantling of Tampa Bay Christian in the semifinals Jan. 29. They led 42-0 at halftime, but Nohra said it was far from perfect.
“Everything they did wrong I told them, first thing being missed layups,” Nohra said. “I told them, ‘You can’t miss layups in the playoffs. Free throws and layups you’ve got to make.’ If we don’t make those we’re not going to go very far.
“I was not happy with our defense,” Nohra continued. “They offense was just pass to the right, pass to the left, pass back to the right. I said, ‘Didn’t it dawn on any of you to jump out and steal that ball? Were you guys content to just follow the ball around?’ These are the types of little things that, maybe against this team won’t matter, but against the better teams you’ve got to jump that pass.”
The academy, which subbed out most of its starters in the second quarter, held the shutout until Shikera Thomas hit a field goal with 4:57 left in the game.
Manuel had a team-high 22 points while adding six steals and five rebounds. Cohen posted 14 points, six rebounds and five steals.
Freshman guard Janice Cassanello had a team-high 11 rebounds while adding seven points and four steals. Seventh-grade guard Taylor Polasky scored nine points.
The Wildcats host Lakeland Victory Christian Feb. 7 for the regional quarterfinals at 7 p.m.
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
