Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Wesley Chapel’s Erik Thomas has already proven he can score like no other boys basketball player in the program’s 13-year history, but the senior forward is far from just a scoring machine.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Thomas is also the Wildcats’ (13-3) all-time rebounding leader, and he extended his career mark with a program-record 32 during a 65-48 home victory over district rival Ridgewood Dec. 21, breaking his own mark of 26 set Nov. 28 against the Rams.

“I was extremely happy because I didn’t expect to beat it,” said Thomas, who also scored 35 in the contest. “I just went out there and played my game, and it turned out I got 32 rebounds. … It’s pretty cool to be able to beat my own record. I want to set it high to give someone else a big challenge if they ever want to beat it.”

Thomas is pulling down 18.4 rebounds per game this season, 4.3 more than a year ago.

“I’ve just had that mindset of being aggressive when it comes to crashing the boards,” Thomas said. “I just do my part when it comes to that; just do my job.”

Thomas burst onto the scene as a freshman when he averaged 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds. Since then he has totaled 1,706 points, 1,023 rebounds, 302 assists, 187 steals and 136 blocks.

Wesley Chapel has also gone 63-36 since Thomas joined the squad, but both the forward and the Wildcats have yet to win a district title together.

In fact, the program is looking for its first district championship since 2003, falling the last two years in the league finals. Thomas is hoping to change that during the 5A-8 tournament, which Wesley Chapel hosts Feb. 8 and 9.

“Honestly, records are great, but I just want to go as far as we can this year,” Thomas said. “Whatever we can do to win more games and keep the season going is what we all want. … We really want that district title. We thought we would have had it last year, but Hudson got us in the finals. We want to get to regionals, and we’ve all got that mindset of coming out strong in the first quarter and playing hard until the end of the game.”

Thomas and the Wildcats play at Hudson Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

By Jeff Odom

The Freedom boys basketball team’s transformation the last 12 months has been thorough, complete and absolute.

“I think we worked hard in the offseason, prepared enough and we’ve done the little things to come together strong and win,” said senior center Brandon Patchan.

And that’s exactly what the Patriots (10-1, 4-1) are doing.

The squad has climbed into a tie for the top spot in Class 7A-District 9, scoring wins over last season’s district champion Chamberlain and league runner-up Wiregrass Ranch. The lone loss was a 45-44 contest at Chamberlain Nov. 29.

Second-year Patriots coach Cedric Smith said his squad has come a long way from where it was just one year ago when it finished 8-14. He added that the group is good enough to win its first district title since 2005 and make the playoffs for just the second time in the program’s 10-year history.

“Their effort has been a lot more consistent, and that’s all I really ever wanted,” Smith said. “I knew I had talented guys for a high school team, and I know I came back with a bunch of seniors, and we’ve been preaching consistent, sustained effort throughout the game. … There are good teams, I just want to get on the floor and compete.”

Senior point guard Antwan Bradley has stayed with the program the last three seasons, in which Freedom finished below .500 twice. He said it’s something special to see the upper-classmen like Patchan come together for a common goal.

“Our record is 10-1 right now, and we’re not used to that, but I believe we can actually take the district title, because we have more chemistry,” said Bradley, who is putting up 9.0 points per game. “People aren’t being selfish, they’re making that extra pass, and we’re doing the right things by listening to the coach and not getting too cocky.”

Smith said that the squad started working well before the season tipped off, adding that losing to Chamberlain 75-48 in last year’s district semifinals has helped spur their ascension.

“Some people may look at this and see it as a short turnaround, but these guys have worked hard all summer,” Smith said. “Ever since the end of the season last year and the disappointment that we had against Chamberlain, no one wants to go out by 27 (points). They made a commitment to come back and work in the weight room and conditioning, and they will never get caught not working as hard as they can. I’m pleased. I’m really pleased.”

Junior guard Michael Keller (8.6 points) said he wants to send the team’s 11 seniors out on top.

“(Our success) has been surprising, but we’ve worked hard enough to get here,” Keller said. “For us, it’s about sending the seniors out on a good note. Our coach is really smart; he knows what he’s doing, and if we stay smart and execute, we should be all right.”

Smith said they have also been pushed by Freedom’s girls basketball team, which is perched atop its own district at 15-1.

“Coach (Laurie) Pacholke has done a great job; she works the crap out of them, and it puts a lot of the pressure on the boys,” Smith said. “We’re tired of people saying the best sports around here are women’s basketball and cheerleading. We applaud them for what they’ve done, but we want to put a guys team on the map here at Freedom. … Even if we don’t put a banner up there, I’m happy with our guys coming in and being better men than when they started here. Don’t get me wrong, I want to win as much as the next guy, but I think if our guys work hard in the classroom and on the court, that’s bigger than a banner to me.”

The Patriots travel to district rival Gaither Jan. 8. They host Armwood Jan. 9 and travel to 7A-9 opponent Wiregrass Ranch Jan. 11. All games start at 8 p.m.

By Jeff Odom

The Academy at the Lakes girls basketball team proved once again that size does not matter.

The Wildcats (15-0) had only six players on the roster for the final of the Jaguar Holiday Classic because of vacations, illnesses and injuries, but the little Class 2A squad made a lot of noise by dominating Class 8A Plant 51-37 Dec. 29 to take home the tournament title at the Academy of the Holy Names.

It’s a long way from where they were just three years ago when they finished 0-15.

Senior point guard Timecia Cohen, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, called the win one of the best she’s ever been a part of.

“We were (surprised),” Cohen said. “We only had six players, so we really had to play smart. We knew we had to beat (Plant) to make a name for ourselves, because we’re such a small school and we did it.”

The academy used an aggressive full-court press and man-to-man defense the entire night, forcing the Panthers (12-5) into numerous mistakes.

Not only did the Wildcats have the smallest roster at the event, but junior Monique Montoute was their only bench player, despite having never played basketball before the tournament. Academy coach Karim Nohra wasn’t concerned with his players tiring down because of how conditioned his players are from practice.

“The first 30 minutes is pretty much up and down,” Nohra said of their practices. “We don’t slow down. They go from one drill to the next to the next. It’s all full-court type stuff, and sometimes if they’re dogging it, boom, let’s run some suicides. … Conditioning (against Plant) was not a factor.”

After taking a 21-15 halftime lead, the academy continued to pound Plant in the third quarter, firing off a 17-0 run while not allowing the Panthers to score a basket for the first six minutes and 20 seconds.

Plant’s missed layups, coupled with another 10-2 run in the fourth, which included a long 3-pointer from Andrea Mauger (14 points) and a big block by Tatiana Manuel on a layup attempt by Madelyn Carey, put the game away.

Manuel (17 points, 11 rebounds) said keeping the tempo up on both sides of the ball after leading for most of the first half was a must to avoid a letdown.

“We got pretty tired; he had to call a few timeouts, but we kept up the intensity,” said Manuel, a senior center. “We knew it was going to be a difficult game coming in here, and we really just had to keep playing.”

Nohra stopped short of calling it a statement win for the program, but he said it was special to see his squad step up against a much larger school.

“I don’t make statements; I make my team play to the level I want and whoever’s in the way,” Nohra said. “We got to take them down. That’s what we do. … We’ve come to this tournament many times and we’ve never won. So, is this a big win? Absolutely. We’re a 2A school taking down an 8A school. That’s pretty awesome for us.”

In the third-place game, Steinbrenner defeated Holy Names 44-30 behind Bailey Hooker’s double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Taylor Thigpen’s 11 points.

The Warriors (16-4), who played the tournament without their second-leading scorer Rachel Briere because of a right knee injury, struggled on offense in the semifinals against Plant, losing 46-43.

Steinbrenner shot 14-of-44 from the field and collapsed with a dismal one-point second quarter.

Fourth-year coach JR Allen said the loss was a reality check.

“We’re not in a good place right now,” Allen said. “(Our schedule has) been relatively easy to this point, and we’re struggling whenever we get challenged, and it’s hard to convince these girls we can get better. … You could clearly see it meant more to Plant to win.”

Wiregrass Ranch finished fourth, going 1-2 at the event.

The Bulls (11-8) defeated St. Petersburg Catholic in the second round, but were dealt losses from the academy in the first round and Braden River in the consolation game.

By Jeff Odom

Freedom’s competitive cheerleading coach Linda Martinez has a reputation among her team for being tough when it comes to hitting the books.

The fifth-year coach demands weekly grade reports and a minimum grade of a C from her squad in order for athletes to compete. While to some cheerleaders it may come as a surprise, it paid dividends for the team last season as the Patriots had the highest combined grade point average of any other public school in Hillsborough County — 3.429.

“Academics is big, and Linda makes sure our grades are on point,” said senior Caitlin Jefferis, who has cheered on the varsity squad all four years. “We get punishments and have to sit out if we don’t meet (the requirements), so it’s a good motivation.”

Academics are the team’s top priority from the start of the season, Martinez said. Her message is simple: no grades, no cheering.

“Every week if they come to the game and their grades are not Cs or better, then they’re not allowed to cheer, and it’s a big deal to cheer,” Martinez said. “It’s important to them to be able have cheered every Friday night (at football games), and I think that that just carries through the seasons.”

Outside of academics, Freedom shined in competition last season, claiming a pair of firsts for the program. The Patriots won the Region 3 large varsity championship and beat out all 26 other schools for the county title.

The squad took first place at Spoto in its regional opener Dec. 4, and Martinez said she feels like the group can duplicate the success of last year, despite the loss of many seniors.

“They have done amazing in comparison to what I thought things were going to be,” Martinez said. “They have a strong core of girls that are still there who have been with me for several years and kind of know the drill to pull the new freshmen along, and they’re some of our strongest. Our fingers are crossed, and we’re hoping for the best.”

Junior Molly Chang, who is entering her second year at the varsity level, said it was a big deal to enjoy the early success and wants it to carry over to the new campaign.

“It was like fame,” Chang joked. “At a lot of the competitions other teams would come up to us and be like ‘You guys are definitely going to win.’ They didn’t even see anybody else competing and thought that. So, hopefully we have the same luck as we did last year, this year.”

Her teammate Malekai Chinaner added it was positive to everybody on the team to get a feel for success.

“I know what we were put through to get a championship and win,” said Chinaner, a junior. “It was a big impact on me, because it was my first time too, and a lot of girls were ready to win, and me and Molly pushed through it and fought for our spots.”

Freedom will host the Region 3 meet Jan. 26. It is the first time the Patriots will host the event.

By Kyle LoJacono

Logan Siben has spent the majority of his time with the Steinbrenner boys soccer team setting others up to score, but he took matters into his own hands Dec. 21.

The senior midfielder scored a single-game program-record four goals in a 5-1 home victory over Alonso, his first tallies of the season.

“I really didn’t find out until (Dec. 22),” Siben said. “We had a game in the Berkley Prep Tournament, and I talked with my coaches, and we found out that no one else had scored four before. A couple guys have scored three, Austin Labban and Jason Collister, and I actually had three my sophomore year.”

Scott Caputa started the scoring for the Warriors (11-1-3) before Siben began his scoring outburst.

“I have mostly assists,” Siben said. “I assisted on the first goal, and after that coach Ebright just told me to stop pretty much passing and just take it on my own and take my own shot. I took advantage of the opportunities I had.”

The second tally happened a bit by chance. It came off an assist on a 75-yard punt by Noah Keene, who is usually a defender, but was forced into action at goalkeeper.

Siben has a team-high seven assists despite missing several weeks and six games with a badly pulled hamstring suffered against Wiregrass Ranch Nov. 16. He played about 20 minutes against Gaither Dec. 4 before re-injuring his leg.

“It’s really good for my confidence, because I’ve been out for so long with my hamstring injury,” Siben said. “That was actually my first game back. It’s really big for me, and I know the rest of the guys on the team want to break it, so it’s motivation for them too.”

Steinbrenner hosts Wharton Jan. 9 before traveling to Jefferson and Tampa Bay Tech Jan. 11 and 18, respectively. All game start at 8 p.m.

By Jeff Odom

Academy at the Lakes shooting guard Tony Arrington was hungry before his team’s matchup at Bishop McLaughlin Jan. 4.

Much to the chagrin of academy coach Tom Haslam, Arrington stopped by the concession stand for a bag of chips and a chocolate bar minutes before tipoff.

It might be a ritual the 5-foot-10 senior guard continues after scoring a season-high 15 points to help the Wildcats (8-6) roll past the Hurricanes (5-8) 72-36.

“Arrington had a bag of chips about five minutes before game time, and I actually got on to him,” Tom said. “He said he was starving, so he ate the chips and kind of snuck it by me. … Maybe it spurred him on, and we’ll have to give him a bag of chips every night.”

The academy didn’t flinch after leading-scorer Ethan Haslam (16 points) was forced to the bench with foul trouble in the first quarter as four different players scored baskets to pick up the slack.

Sophomore forward Mikey Mauger, who finished with eight points, said staying ahead, in spite of adversity, showed the team’s potential.

“It’s a good sign that we can do as good without (Ethan) as we do with him,” Mauger said. “The last few days we haven’t been able to practice or get in the gym much, but everybody really had great energy coming off the bench, and our starters did too.”

The Wildcats finished the first half on a 16-2 run and outscored Bishop McLaughlin 19-4.

“We got in some early foul trouble in the first (quarter), and we didn’t move our feet good,” Tom said. “Once the second started we kind of got back in the groove, and I thought we did much better finishing the fast break and getting open shots.”

The Hurricanes came out of the break on a torrid pace with an 8-2 run led by Will Potosky (14 points).

But too many missed inside baskets and a rough night at the foul line (4-of-10) doomed Bishop McLaughlin and opened the door for academy’s offense to pour it on in the fourth.

The Wildcats were stagnant early, but a late shot by forward Evan Gordy (eight points) with 3:03 to go and a 3-pointer from Arrington helped the academy finish the game with a 12-0 run on a running clock.

“It was all about my teammates helping out, getting involved,” Arrington said. “We’ve been working on having better second halves and opening the first half was way better, so that’s been the focus of the last couple of games, and that’s what we’ve done.”

The Wildcats travel to Tampa Bay Christian Jan. 11 and the Hurricanes host Seffner Christian Jan. 8. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

By Kyle LoJacono

Wesley Chapel girls soccer player Kelsey Bare has committed to Saint Leo University.

“It’s really fulfilling,” Bare said. “It’s something that I wanted to do once I started to get better at soccer.”

The senior midfielder made the decision before Winter Break, becoming the second in the program’s 13-year history to commit to play in college.

“I didn’t really want to go too far away from home,” said Bare, a four-year player for the Wildcats. “I started talking with the Saint Leo coach (Ged O’Connor). … It was a recent thing that they wanted me to play there. I’d talked to the coach in the past, then I’d gotten some interest out of state. I wanted to stay in state, so when the opportunity came up I took it.”

Bare, who will study sports business, also set Wesley Chapel’s (5-8-2) single-season scoring record with 15, passing the mark set last year by former Wildcats midfielder Tess Gemberling.

Bare picked up soccer at age 7 with the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) recreation program. She also played volleyball, softball, flag football, basketball and track growing up.

“I started to have to narrow it down to the things I like the most as I got older,” Bare said. “I played volleyball and softball freshman and sophomore year too. … Soccer was always my No. 1 sport. It was just my passion.”

Bare is the third area player to commit to the Lions this school year, following Wiregrass Ranch senior forward Berlin Waters and Sunlake junior defender Cassidy Place. Bare said she and Waters have been close since being on the same WCAA squad.

“It’s really cool that we’re both going there, because she’s one of my best friends,” Bare said.

Wesley Chapel closes the regular season by hosting Tampa Catholic and Anclote Jan. 8 and 11, respectively. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.