BROOKSVILLE - Everybody figured Alex Ruoff would shoot. That's what made his final pass such a thing of beauty.
With time running out, the Central star found wide open teammate Ermine Lewis sprinting toward the basket, and Lewis' layup with one second left sent the Bears to the championship game and sank top seed Lecanto's season, 56-54.
"Our coach called that play in the huddle," Lewis said. "I was nervous. I just put it up. I thought I had missed."
Central (18-9), the No. 5 seed, plays No. 2 Clermont East Ridge in tonight's 7:30 final. East Ridge rallied late in regulation to tie it, then beat No. 3 Citrus 71-63 in overtime.
After a see-saw game, Central trailed by two with less than a minute remaining when Lewis stripped Lecanto (19-8) point guard Landon Baize and passed to Anthony Wright, who converted a tying layup. Ruoff led with 20 points, while Wright added 17. Lewis' winner was his only score. Central is headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2000.
Lecanto was down four with 4:22 left, but Baize scored six points in 90 seconds to put the Panthers in front. He led Lecanto with 12 points.
"It was a great high school game," Lecanto coach Chris Nichols said. "It was like a prizefight. We'd hit them and they'd hit us."
Citrus (14-10) appeared to have its game in hand after a electric fourth-quarter rally. But the Hurricanes missed the front end of a one-and-one and committed three turnovers in the final two minutes of regulation. East Ridge (18-7) then took control in overtime.
Citrus guard Jamaal Galloway, a four-year starter and returning all-state player, led the Hurricanes with 25 points, hitting six 3-pointers. He had nine points in the fourth quarter and finished his career with more than 1,800.
"It's real tough," Galloway said. "I've been with all these guys four years. You get attached."
