Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Wiregrass Ranch still accomplishes program firsts

By Kyle LoJacono

The Nature Coast boys basketball team had been waiting for a rematch with Wiregrass Ranch since the Bulls won the Class 4A-District 8 championship two weeks ago on the Sharks home court.

Nature Coast (29-3) avenged that loss Feb. 22 at Wiregrass Ranch (22-8) to take the 4A regional semifinals contest 70-56.

“I knew that was going to happen,” said Wiregrass Ranch coach Jeremy Calzone. “They were mad. We celebrated on their home court a couple weeks ago and unfortunately we didn’t respond.”

The Sharks jumped out to an 11-point lead to start the game and did not let it get closer than seven all night.

“Them beating us on our home floor in the district championship, it struck a cord for us,” said Nature Coast coach David Pisarcik. “We knew how important this game was if we saw them again. We were focused all week. Bringing the intensity in practice and we brought that out to the game tonight. We were ready to go.”

“All week we were ready to play,” Pisarcik continued. “I mean we wanted to play yesterday. When they got off the bus and onto the floor, they were ready. You could see the aggressiveness, the intensity coming out. We had a great game plan to come out and neutralize their players and the kids executed.”

The Bulls came up two games shy of the final four, but they did things never before done in program history this year. They won the first district championship and the first regional tournament game in the quarterfinals Feb. 17 by beating cross-town rival Wesley Chapel.

Wiregrass Ranch, which has seven seniors on the roster, also beat Nature Coast for the first time for the program in that district title game, but could not make it two in a row.

“The kids are unbelievable,” Calzone said. “Those seven kids, I’ll never forget them. I told them in 20 years, 30 years I’ll tell my grandkids about these players. Not only are they good basketball players, they’re great kids. Great in the classroom, great around the community here. They don’t get into trouble and I don’t have to worry about bad grades.”

Wiregrass Ranch used a high-tempo offense this year to make up for lack of size, but it ran into a big obstacle in Sharks 6-foot-9 senior center Tyler Bergantino, who is three inches taller than any of the Bulls.

Bergantino put up 20 points, and his size made it difficult for Wiregrass Ranch 6-foot-6 senior center Michael Chase to work the inside, forcing the squad to take more outside shots.

“We didn’t want to do that,” Calzone said of shooting so many outside shots. “I think they did a better job on Michael (Chase) tonight. We had a hard time getting it into him. …We’ve told them all year if you’re open, shoot. I’m not going to tell them to stop shooting. It’s not my style.”

The Bulls had a small victory when they forced Bergantino to the bench in the second quarter.

“We got three fouls on Bergantino,” Calzone said. “We felt pretty good about it and as soon as he came out of the game, I think we relaxed for a second and that hurt us. Instead of pushing forward we said he’s not in the game. Now we can relax.”

Nature Coast went on a 6-2 run with their center on the bench to push the lead to 13 near the end of the second quarter.

“That little stretch in the second quarter hurt us,” Calzone said. “If we had limited that, we could have gotten it down to five or six at halftime. I was a little upset about that, but the game was won and lost in the first five minutes.”

The Sharks took a 13-2 lead to start the game. Senior guard Antwan Prince, who normally starts and averages 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, had to sit out the first quarter for missing a practice.

“He decided to miss a practice without calling somebody,” Calzone said. “I live by my rules. Unfortunately it happened in a regional semifinal game. Like I told the kids, I’ll take the blame if you want, but I’m going to stay by my rules no matter what the game is. That’s just who I am.”

The Bulls seemed to be lacking the spark that Prince usually adds.

“He’s an energy guy for us,” Calzone said.

Chase finished with a team-high 16 points in the semifinals, followed by sophomore Rico Kerney’s 14. Senior and team captain Tanner Carey put up 11 and senior Kingsley Boateng had seven.

Senior James Tringali had a team-high 14 assists. Kerney led the Bulls with nine rebounds, while Carey pulled down eight.

Carly Clark earns honor in New England

By Kyle LoJacono

Most central Pasco County soccer players spend four years on the pitch at Sunlake, Land O’ Lakes or Wiregrass Ranch high schools, but one has been showcasing her talents 1,500 miles north.

Carly Clark, 18, is a senior at Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Mass., but lives in Land O’ Lakes when the all girls college preparatory academy is not in session.

“A couple of my cousins went to private schools too in the area,” Clark said. “I wanted to go to a boarding school because it helps you get ready for college. It’s really good academically, but it also makes you ready for everything else. I’ve been living by myself for four years, so I can do my laundry and everything else that most kids have done for them at home.”

Clark has a 3.4 unweighted grade point average, and has also been a star for the Hurricanes in two sports. She has been a defender on the varsity soccer team since her freshman year and is the catcher on the softball squad for the fourth straight year.

“My whole family is really athletic,” Clark said. “We do a lot of things outside all the time. My brother (Zachary) played hockey and my mom (Kris) is a body builder. I also used to ride horses and played hockey too.”

Clark was a co-captain for Miss Hall’s soccer team, which completed its season with an 8-6 record in November. Soccer is a fall sport in the north to avoid playing in cold weather. The Hurricanes came in fourth out of 30 teams in the New England Prep School Soccer Association (NEPSSA) Western Division regular season, missing the playoffs by two spots.

Clark’s efforts on the Hurricanes backline earned her a spot on the NEPSSA Western All-Star team despite missing the first half of the season with a twisted knee.

Christie Higuera, Clark’s soccer coach, said opposing coaches vote on who they think was the best player on the other team after each contest. The players with the most votes make the all-star game, which was played Nov. 14.

“I loved that she made the team, especially because of her injury,” Higuera said, who is also Miss Hall’s assistant dean of students. “It was the first time she made the team and it’s well deserved for the work she’s done.”

Clark said of being an all star, “There were a lot of good players. It was really exciting to play against the best players, and my team won 4-0.

Higuera said the all-star appearance is a fitting end for Clark’s time with the team.

“I remember seeing her at the first tryouts her freshman year,” Higuera continued. “You could tell she was an athlete. She was fit and strong as a freshman and could do everything demanded of her. She was also a voice of reason. She would listen to what’s going on and say something that always made sense. She was a calming voice.”

Clark scored two goals and recorded five assists while leading the Miss Hall’s defense during her four years, starting 49 of 62 games during that time. Now her attention shifts to softball in the spring, which she believes is her best sport.

Clark said she wants to play softball in college. She would prefer to attend a university in the south and added a few schools in Texas and Tennessee have asked for video of her playing. As for academics, Clark plans to major in psychology, but she is an athlete at heart.

“I’ve loved playing both sports here,” Clark said. “I was really surprised to make the teams as a freshman and it’s been great.”

Jeff Ditman brings football discipline to Gaither track

By Zack Peterson

Laker/Lutz News correspondent

This past season, the Gaither boys track team added a new addition to their roster — coach Jeff Ditman, who spent the fall coaching the Cowboys offensive line on the football field.

“I feel that from football I take a sense of discipline,” Ditman said. “It’s all about the little things like starting on time. The kids know what’s expected of them and that’s important.”

With the expectation of a Class 4A-District 6 championship in mind, the team has ramped up their workouts according to the multi-talented athlete Shug Oyegunle, who was also Gaither’s starting quarterback this season.

“We’ve got a young team that’s looking good,” said Oyegunle, a sophomore. “Everyday we’ve working hard, pushing it with our all and giving 100 percent.”

To claim a district title, the Cowboys will have to contend with the reigning champion Plant and runner-up Chamberlain. Gaither finished fifth in the district meet last year, ahead of only northern Hillsborough County Rival Freedom.

For Ditman though, commanding this team looks to be an exciting and different experience.

“Track’s a different animal,” Ditman said. “With football, everything can be very compartmentalized. Here, there are multiple scenarios. It’s not all black and white.”

Strength is key for Cowboys

For coach Caitlin Clay and the Gaither girls track program, the emphasis in the off-season has primarily been on muscular training.

“It’s a building year, but we’ve got some great sprinters and jumpers who can lead the team,” Clay said. “We’ve also incorporated time in the weight room to build muscle strength.”

Last year the Cowboys finished fifth in 4A-6. Wharton was the cream of the crop last season, taking 250 points in the district meet. The Wildcats closest competition was Alonso, which posted 114.

Gaither put up 51 points, but did send its 4×800 team to the regional meet as well as Kiana Bryant in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash; Clay wants to replicate the results.

Along with the extra weight training came the extra coaching to bring Clay some relief.

“Now that we’ve split up the coaches, I can work more closely with the distance group while they focus on their particular area of strength,” Clay explained.

Warriors look to build on cross country success

The Steinbrenner boys track team is still a very young program in a state of building, but its solid core of middle and long distance runners has the Warriors expecting success in year two.

Those longer distance runners mainly come from the Steinbrenner cross country team that finished as the Class 2A state runner-up this year. One of those who competed in the cross country final is senior Dan Sarver.

“We’re a lot better already,” Sarver said. “Within the first race, almost everyone broke their PR’s [personal records] from last year.”

The Warriors squad finished ninth in the 11-team Class 2A-District 9, but did send its 4×800 meter relay team to regionals. Sarver was a member of that foursome that went to regionals, along with his twin brother Matt, and sophomores Matt Magee and Oliver Ortiz.

According to Sarver, with a “strong, young group of runners looking to step up,” anything is possible for the team, which aspires to be a strong factor in the district tournament at the end of the season.

After defeating Gaither with a score of 104-25 Feb. 23, they are off on the right path.

Steinbrenner takes aim at district title

Lead by Ladd Baldwin, the Steinbrenner girls track team strives to pick up where it left off last year and work their way to a district championship.

“We were runner-up last year and 90 percent of our team is back this year,” Baldwin said. “We have some nice additions and a good variety of athletes.”

The Warriors competes in 2A-9, which includes teams like Wesley Chapel, Pasco and the defending district champion Jesuit. To cope with last year’s near district title, the Warriors expanded its roster to boost their depth.

“The way to win is in the depth,” Baldwin said. “Your one, two and three runners are all important, but so are your four, five and six runners who are also scoring points.”

With a bigger team, Baldwin believes the team can do great things.

Improvements done just in time for the baseball season

By Kyle LoJacono

B.E. Smith played on what is now John F. Clements Field at Zephyrhills High and thanks to his efforts the current Bulldogs squad will have well-kept turf for the season.

A few weeks ago he decided to step in and improve the field he once played on just in time for the start of the baseball season. He and the crew from Silverado Golf & Country Club, 36841 Clubhouse Drive in Zephyrhills, trimmed some trees, cut out a new infield and laid down new gravel from left to right field along the infield.

“My mother (Tillie Reutimann) graduated from Zephyrhills in 1928 and I have grandkids there now, so I wanted to put something back into the school,” Smith said.

The labor took about three days and the materials cost about $800. Smith said a crew of four or five guys, including Silverado’s superintendent of the golf course Jeff Sweet, went to the school after a full day of work to do the job.

“It takes a lot of that gravel to make a level warning track 14-feet-wide like we have,” said first-year Zephyrhills coach Rickey Anderton. “It looks very good now. Three or four of the kids said to me now we feel like pros with this field.”

The improvements were done in time for the Bulldogs first game Feb. 15.

Smith and the Silverado crew are also working to build level batting cages for the Bulldogs.

“He worked so hard and didn’t ask for anything,” Anderton said. “He’s always helping us. He said we can use the banquet hall at Silverado at the end of the year for our awards. He really takes care of the kids.

Smith, who graduated from Zephyrhills in 1958, was a right-handed pitcher and shortstop for the Bulldogs. He said baseball was always his favorite sport.

“I go to a lot of the practices and I hope to get to all of the home games,” Smith said.

Smith is not done with helping the baseball team.

“This is a long-term project,” Smith said. “One thing I would like to do is make the infield from first to third base clay instead of grass like it is now. Some of the players tell me they catch their spikes when running and I think it will just look better with a clay infield. ”

Anderton said he still cannot believe how much Smith does for the program.

“Anything we need he just does without having to be asked,” Anderton said. “He doesn’t ask even for a thank you. He gives his time and his money to help us and we are very lucky to have someone like him who loves his community so much.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Jordan See makes the grade

Gaither senior Jordan See is not just a leader for the Cowboys on the soccer field, he is also a standout in the classroom.

See, the team captain, has a 6.7 weighted grade point average and is in the top 1 percent of his graduating class. On the soccer field he is second for Gaither with 15 scores plus nine assists.

“I think preparing on the field and in the classroom is all about support,” See said. “Academically, I have the support of my family and friends. They say the right things when I’m too tired to study. The work ethic is the same. It’s fighting that urge to play video games and not drinking soda and eating bad. It’s the little things that make the difference.”

A normal day after school for See starts with practice, which ends at about 5 p.m. He then goes running for about five miles, heads to the gym and finishes back on the practice field for his club team Hillsborough County United. He does not get home until 10 or 11 p.m.

“After practice I go home and do homework and study, but a lot of the time I have to do it during lunch or whenever I have time,” See said. “It’s a lot of time management.”

See, who wants to be a doctor, has been awarded a presidential scholarship from the University of South Florida and has applied with Harvard University, Duke University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania.

Wheeler tops Gaither in scoring

Last season, Gaither senior Zach Wheeler had six goals and 10 assists, but has increased his scoring by nearly four times as many times this year, putting up 24 goals while adding 15 assists.

“I guess I just grew older as a player,” said Wheeler, who first started playing at age 6. “I just got more comfortable playing.”

Wheeler said he gained a lot of confidence when he scored three goals — a hat trick — in Gaither’s second game, a 5-1 win against Freedom High.

Additionally, last year’s leading scorer Jordan See had a pulled hamstring for more than a month and Wheeler said he felt he needed to score more to make up for that.

“See was basically our offense last year and when he hurt his leg I knew I’d need to fill that hole,” Wheeler said. “It’s been an amazing year for me. If you told me it would happen before the year, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Coaching up the Cowboys

Coach Eric Sims has guided Gaither to the regional tournament nine of the 10 with the program.

“It’s a testament to the program and the players we’ve had,” Sims said. “It just seems like when playoff time comes, Gaither teams show up. We’ve had teams that weren’t the most talented that made regionals and I think a lot of it is expectations. The players expect to make regionals. To be a part of a program that has had a lot of success is something to be proud of, but we’d like to win some more state titles.”

The program has been to regionals 15 times in the school’s 26-year history, has made the state tournament five times and brought home the Class 4A state title in 2000 under former coach Adrian Bush.

Sims, a Jesuit High graduate and a goalkeeper, was playing professionally in Nashville when Bush called him about a new club team called Hillsborough County United. Bush left Gaither after the 2000-01 high school season and Sims agreed to take a job with the club team and also got the coaching gig with the Cowboys.

Sims has many fond memories of coaching with Gaither, but a few stand out.

“Until this year the best moment was getting to the final four in 2004,” Sims said. “I think the win in the regional finals at East Lake this year was up there as well. It’s as far as we’ve been since I’ve been here.”

By Kyle LoJacono

The Wiregrass Ranch boys basketball team won the first regional tournament game in program history by defeating Wesley Chapel 94-75 at home Feb. 17.

The Bulls (22-7) took a 52-26 lead into halftime of the Class 4A regional quarterfinals, but had to ward off a 30-point quarter by the Wildcats (13-16) in the third that closed the score to 72-56.

“I don’t think my kids believed what we were telling them in the locker room; this is Wesley Chapel,” said Bulls coach Jeremy Calzone. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the playoffs. It’s about being just three miles away. It’s always going to be a tough game for us. They always play us hard, especially when we beat them by 30 a week and a half ago. We knew they were going to be angry, but they didn’t believe it. They just decided not to play any defense.”

Wesley Chapel sophomore guard Christian Parra sparked that comeback with a 3-pointer on the opening possession of the second half. The Wildcats went on a 15-3 run to start the third, including nine points by Parra.

“He’s good. He’s excellent,” Calzone said of Parra. “He’s one of the best young guards in this county.…He’s their leader out there. When he got confidence, I got nervous because they feed off his confidence.”

Parra lead all scorers with 29 points and added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. He is part of a very young nucleus for the Wildcats.

“Being in the playoffs is a great experience for us,” said Wesley Chapel coach Doug Greseth. “We

started two sophomores and two freshmen tonight and we’re only going to get better. I was very proud of the way we came out in the second half. We were down big in the first half and I couldn’t be prouder of the way they came back in the game.”

The Bulls got into foul trouble in the second half, including committing 10 team fouls before the fourth quarter started that allowed the Wildcats to shoot two free throws after every foul for the rest of the contest.

“It was a relief to get this win,” said senior James Tringali. “They snuck up on us in the third quarter. Coach Calzone said they would. They’re young and are hungry. We didn’t come out the way we should have in the third quarter, but we came out on top and get to move on. You’ve got to be happy and just go back to work.”

Tringali is one of seven seniors on the Wiregrass Ranch’s 14-man roster. The only starter who is not a senior is Rico Kerney, who scored a team-high 16 points and added 10 rebounds.

“Me being a sophomore, I wanted to win for the older guys,” Kerney said. “They’ve helped me get better and we want to keep this going for them.”

Seniors Michael Chase and Kingsley Boateng each added 13 points for the Bulls. Also scoring in double figures for Wiregrass Ranch were seniors Antwan Prince, 12; Tanner Carey, 11; Josiah Jones, 11; and Tringali, 10.

Tringali also had a team high 13 assists and pulled down eight rebounds.

The Bulls will next host district rival Nature Coast in the regional semifinals at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22. Wiregrass Ranch beat the Sharks to win the 4A-8 district championship.

“In the back of our heads I think we knew and I think Nature Coast is going to be ready,” Calzone said of the rematch. “They’re going to be ready. We were celebrating on their floor with a district championship. I told my kids they better be ready to come play on Tuesday or it’s going to be a long night.”

Patriots go down in quarterfinals

The Carrollwood Day boys basketball team played in the first regional tournament game in school history Feb. 17, but could not get past Naples Seacrest Country Day.

Mike Filer led all Patriots (15-9) scores with 11 points, but Carrollwood Day could not match the Stingrays offense, losing 68-36 in the 1A regional quarterfinals.

By Kyle LoJacono

Dean Colosimo is hoping the next great tennis star comes out of his new middle school league at Lake Padgett Estates East.

Colosimo, a certified United States Tennis Association instructor, has started a league for middle school tennis. The first season has a squad from Academy at the Lakes, Pine View and Weightman and two from Rushe.

“It’s meant to be competitive,” Colosimo said. “We expect the kids to know the basics and be able to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches.”

Players earn points for their team by winning games. One of the Rushe squads earned the most points in the four-week season and will get to display the championship trophy in their school for the next year.

“We want the kids to get excited about the sport and have pride in trying to win that trophy for their school,” Colosimo said. “Next season I’d like to have more schools from Land O’ Lakes, Lutz, Wesley Chapel and all across Pasco County join in.”

Colosimo said he wanted to start the league because his sons, Dominic and Jake, wanted to play the game, but middle schools do not offer the activity in Pasco. He has also started a league for high school students with three seasons a year at the same courts.

Sophie Pawlak, a seventh grader, is one of the members of the Pine View team.

“I wanted some experience in match play,” said Pawlak, who has been playing the sport for about three years. “(Tennis) is a lot of fun.”

Also taking advantage of playing in the league is Jordan Mark, an eighth grader from Rushe.

“It’s a lot like how they play in high school,” Mark said. “I want to play in high school and I thought it would be a good way to get better.”

The league is mainly for middle school kids, but advanced elementary students can also participate. There are currently about four elementary students who play in the league.

The league just finished its the first season and will have another next winter. For more information on the league, e-mail Colosimo at .

Cowboys come up one goal short of title game

By Kyle LoJacono

The Gaither boys soccer team made it to the state final four for the first time since 2004, but the squad’s season ended there in a 3-2 loss to Durant.

The Cowboys (19-5-2) were going for the second state championship in program history, but the Cougars (15-8-2) cashed in on two free kicks to take the contest at the University of Tampa (UT) Feb. 18.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to even play in this game,” said Gaither senior Jordan See. “The seniors have never made it to the final four, so it’s an accomplishment to even get this far. We played a quality squad and gave it everything we had. It just didn’t work out for us today.”

The Cowboys got on the board first when senior Zach Wheeler scored in the first minute for his 24th tally of the year. Durant controlled the attack for much of the first half after that, scoring in the 12th and 32nd minutes.

“The first half, I thought we played pretty poor actually,” said Gaither coach Eric Sims. “I think the early goal made us sit back a little bit. So maybe it was the kiss of death for us to get a goal that early. I think we kind of sat back and they took it to us physically. They dominated the game, especially in the middle of the field.”

Sims, a UT graduate, said he challenged his team to win the middle of the field during halftime and the Cowboys came out of the break with renewed energy. In the 60th minute, Gaither junior Jacob Snidle took a free kick from 25 yards out that was put in the back of the net by senior Charlie Delmar, his fourth tally of the year.

The Cougars scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute off a free kick that tipped off Gaither senior goalkeeper John Nardozzi’s hand.

“We had a good goal to tie it up, and the last goal was unfortunate.” Sims said. “I don’t know how, if the goalkeeper was screened or what. Our guys battled back hard and I’m proud of the year they’ve had.”

The Class 5A semifinals contest was the third meeting between the Hillsborough County teams this season. Gaither took the first 5-0 Oct. 16, but Durant won the last two.

“We knew what to expect and they knew what to expect,” See said. “It just came down to who finished their opportunities. They did and we didn’t.”

See is one of 10 seniors on the Cowboys 22-man roster. While the season did not end the way he wanted, the forward managed to see just what the team accomplished this year and during his time at Gaither.

“It’s been an incredible ride,” See said. “I’ve been with most of these guys for four years now. We’ve become very close. We’re a family and the fact that we can end our season going to the final four is really something special.”

By Kyle LoJacono

The 2010-10 Land O’ Lakes girls basketball team did things no other has in program history, but its season ended in the Class 4A regional finals Feb. 19.

The Gators (24-3) lost their first home contest of the year 61-49 to Leesburg, but are still the first in program history to win two playoff games to reach the regional finals.

The trip to the regional finals is a stark turnaround for Land O’ Lakes, which won only four games last season. The team added starters Shanel Sweet and Simone Brown, transfers from Gaither and Wesley Chapel respectively, and a new coach.

“It was a good team and we’re proud of ourselves,” said Gators first-year coach Laurie Fitzpatrick. “We felt we could have gone to state. I’m proud of my team. It’s my first year and you couldn’t really ask for more.”

Senior Julia Della Penna said team chemistry is a big reason for the rebound year.

“We work so well together,” Della Penna said before the region finals. “To have new teammates come in, Sweet and Simone, it’s been a great experience my senior year.”

Land O’ Lakes had a 27-25 lead at halftime, but Leesburg (24-7) pushed the pace in the second quarter and their fast-break offense seemed to take the last breath out of the Gators. The Yellowjackets also had the advantage in height, and their press defense opened a 43-35 advantage to start the fourth quarter.

“Two of my girls were sick and of course it was Simone and Sweet, so I knew tonight wasn’t going to be a good night,” Fitzpatrick said. “They played their hearts out, but it was tough. I knew, I told them at halftime just play your hearts out, but after halftime they were done.”

Sweet had a team-high 20 points in the region finals, followed by Brown’s 17 and Della Penna’s eight.

In the semifinals Feb. 15, the Gators defended their home court with a 69-60 victory against Gulf. The two teams did not meet in the regular season, but went a combined 36-0 against Pasco County teams before their showdown.

Land O’ Lakes led 31-24 at halftime, but the Buccaneers (26-5) fought back and took a 41-40 lead with less than 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter. That is when Sweet hit the shot that energized the Gators.

Sweet took an outlet pass to the basket and hit a layup as time expired to put her squad back up by a point. Those two points started a 12-0 run, 10 from Sweet, which put the Gators up for good.

“I haven’t made a last second shot all season, so to do that at that time of the game it definitely sparked our team,” Sweet said. “It started us going up into the fourth quarter.”

Sweet outscored Gulf’s Nicole Adams, who scored her 2,000th career point early this season. Adams was held to 18. Sweet, who scored her 1,000th career point this season, poured in a team-high 32 while shooting 62 percent and adding four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Della Penna helped her team build that first-half lead by hitting three 3-pointers.

“Julia, I love that girl,” Sweet said. “She definitely played her heart out. Her 3-pointers definitely helped our run. It got the crowd into it. … The whole team contributed to this win.”

Della Penna finished with 11 points. Senior Nicole Woodard had nine points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Senior Meagan Thurston put up eight points, pulled down five rebounds and added two blocks.

Next year, the program is likely to return starters Brown and Kendra Sheets.

“I’m really upset for them right now, but I’m hopeful we can do this again next year,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’ll lose some very good players, but I think we’re going in the right direction.”

Wildcats finish just short of states

Coach Karim Nohra turned the Academy at the Lakes girls basketball team from a winless program to a regional finals squad, but the Wildcats season ended one game from states.

The academy (19-5) went 0-15 last year. Nohra was hired to run the program after guiding Wesley Chapel to back-to-back Class 4A regional finals. The story was the same in 1A this year for the veteran coach, but the Wildcats fell to Lake Worth Trinity Christian 59-30 at home Feb. 19.

“We were just outgunned,” Nohra said. “We couldn’t match their scoring or rebounding.”

The academy tied the score 14-14 with 5:50 left in the first half, but Trinity went on an 8-0 run going into the break to take the lead for good.

Andrea Mauger had a team-high eight points for the academy, while eighth-grader Marjorie Rivera added seven.

The Wildcats got through their regional semifinals contest Feb. 15 at Naples First Baptist 57-55. Mauger’s 20 points led all scorers, including two free throws with 11 seconds left to give her squad the winning margin. Rivera added 19 and Vanessa Vincent put up 13.

The season did not end with a state championship, but the academy’s record improved by 19 wins and the program won its first district title ever.

“This is the most satisfying season,” Nohra said. “They had no wins and have come so far.”