By Kyle LoJacono
The Academy at the Lakes boys basketball team continued sailing into uncharted waters with a 49-48 victory at Lake Wales Vanguard on Feb. 16 in the Class 2A regional quarterfinals.
The win is the Wildcats’ first in the playoffs, just one of a line of new things done by the program this year.
The trip to the postseason is also a program first as is finishing a season above .500.
“This whole year has been so great,” said junior guard/forward Igwe, a Freedom High transfer. “I love it here.”
The academy (15-8) had an interesting fight getting to Vanguard (16-3). Their pregame meal was delayed and then they got lost on the way to the game.
“We had to change into our gear in the bus,” Igwe said. “A couple of the guys fell asleep, so we had to wake them up, and they were all confused. We got there like 15 minutes before the game. … We weren’t into the game like we should have been until the half.”
The academy went 3-17 shooting in the first quarter but trailed only 22-20 entering halftime.
Much of the poor shooting was thanks to Vanguard’s 6-foot-7 center Jean Remy Esor.
Wildcats sophomore center Evan Gordy has faced players as tall as 6-foot-10, so he has experience looking for ways to break down such giants.
“I realized he wasn’t as fast reacting back to the ball,” Gordy said. “He’d shift to one side and I’d stay on the other to cut to the basket. Then I tried to use my strength to box him out to get put backs. I also saw he would jump on pump fakes because he’d always go for the block.”
The game stayed close to the end and included a last-second shot. Vanguard stole the ball with about 3 seconds remaining and got up a floater that hit the backboard and fell harmlessly to the ground.
“It was one of the games that was really intense back-and-forth,” Gordy said. “Both teams played with a lot of energy. They had a few good players who made big shots and we had to answer. … We stayed strong and kept pushing in their court.”
Igwe led the Wildcats with 16 points while kicking in two blocks. Gordy added 10 points and five rebounds.
The academy hosts Winter Haven All Saints’ Academy on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
