Boys basketball: Manora does it all for Wildcats

The senior saves his best shot for last to help Wesley Chapel eke by district rival.

By IZZY GOULD
Published January 12, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - Ladarius Manora likely will savor this night the rest of his life. As he ages, the Wesley Chapel senior will master telling the tale to friends, his kids, his grandkids and anyone thirsty for a good story. He might grow old and frail, but he'll always have Friday night's memories, a night he could not be stopped.

Manora took down rival Land O'Lakes with a last-second jump shot from the wing for a 72-71 victory. He scored a career-high 32 points, including three 3-pointers, five rebounds and an assist. He was clutch from the free-throw line, hitting all nine attempts, and he scored 21 points in the second half, including the Wildcats' last seven points in the final two minutes.

"He really came through in the fourth quarter," coach Doug Greseth said. "He hit a lot of big shots. He needed to take over (for two injured players) and he kind of put us on his back."

Land O'Lakes has four last-second losses this season. The Gators (14-5) had four scorers in double figures, including a team-high 20 points from Kevin Burnell. They trailed by as many as 11 in the second quarter and outscored the Wildcats (15-3) 14-0 in a three-minute stretch to take a 47-45 lead in the third.

Land O'Lakes led by as many as four with 2:07 remaining, but Manora hit five consecutive free throws to give the Wildcats a 70-69 lead with 1:20 to go. The Gators took the lead one last time on a P.J. Potts layup. After a defensive stop, the Gators had possession and tried to play four corners to the final buzzer. A foul by Wesley Chapel's Greg Jenkins sent Potts to the free-throw line, who missed the front end of a one-and-one with 24 seconds left. Manora got the rebound and slowly dribbled up court, passing off to Jenkins.

Greseth held off on calling timeout, hoping to keep the defense unsettled as his team looked for the winning shot. The plan was for Jenkins to penetrate the lane, but a couple Gators clogged the middle forcing him to pass to Manora, who jumped, fired and scored, sparking an eruption in the bleachers.

Both teams have games against Class 5A, District 7 powerhouse Ridgewood next week to determine the top seed.

"They're playing much better as a team," Gators coach Dave Puhalski said of Wesley Chapel. "The first time we played them it was like five individuals. That's the kind of direction we're going in right now."

[Last modified January 11, 2008, 23:25:25]