Girls hoops: Wesley Chapel can't hold on

Despite an early lead, the Wildcats struggle with shooting and fall to Winter Haven.

By Izzy Gould, Times Staff Writer
Published February 17, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - True believers planted themselves behind Wesley Chapel all season.

Skeptics turned into fans along the way. Opponents became allies, and suddenly Wesley Chapel was one of those underdog feel-good stories the masses latch onto because each win made hearts beat faster.

The Wildcats were within four quarters of going to their first final four; one win from a trip to Lakeland.

But they couldn't overcome defending Class 5A state champion Winter Haven, which now has reached the semifinals eight of the past nine seasons after a 55-37 win at Wesley Chapel.

"Everybody comes out and brings their best game against us," Blue Devils coach LeDawn Gibson said. "Wesley Chapel came in here refusing to lose."

A week of heartfelt speeches, draining practices and high-fives in the hallways had the Wildcats (24-5) believing they could knock off the Blue Devils (29-2). For eight minutes, the Wildcats had a gymnasium convinced they had a shot.

Wesley Chapel jumped out to a 6-0 lead, forcing turnovers and converting shots in transition. After eight minutes, the score was tied at 10 and Wesley Chapel's Cree McIver sensed an upset.

"We were pumped," McIver said. "We had nothing to hold back. We were so excited to get this far, we wanted to keep going."

Wesley Chapel kept attacking in the second quarter, but forced shots from the perimeter were hitting more iron than net. The Wildcats went almost nine minutes without a field goal while Winter Haven closed out the half with a 16-4 run.

"We couldn't knock down a couple of shots," Wesley Chapel coach Warren Jones said. "That was the difference. Maybe the game would have been different if we hit those shots. We could have gained more confidence, but it didn't go that way."

The Blue Devils' roster was virtually intact from the group that won last year's title game. They were led by senior Tiffany Hayes, a Connecticut signee who dazzled the crowd with sharp shooting and nifty ball handling, often faking out defenders then making the extra dribble to find an open shot.

Hayes shook off a headache for a game-high 19 points. Blue Devils senior Kiara Francisco, a Memphis signee, scored 15.

"A lot of teams see that name on their jersey and tense up," Jones said. "We wanted to give them the best game we could give them. I don't think there's anything for those girls to hold their head on."

The Wildcats started five seniors including Desiree Vizcaino, who finished with a team-high 11 points. McIver scored nine, while Ashley Carey and Jeani Ducos each finished with six.

They leave Wesley Chapel one win shy of the school record, though they advanced further than any team in the program's history.

"No one expected us to be here," Jones said. "No one expected us to put up a fight like that."

Izzy Gould can be reached at izzygould@gmail.com or (727) 580-5315.

Winter Haven 55 Wesley Chapel 37

[Last modified February 16, 2008, 23:43:04]