Blanche Ely boys’ basketball erases 15-point halftime deficit to reach state title game
Malachi Hazelton was calm as he stepped to the free throw line with 3.8 seconds left in a tie game at the Class 8A semifinals in Lakeland. The plan all along on Blanche Ely’s final possession was just to draw a foul in the post, get a chance to win the game at the free-throw line.
The Tigers dedicate a Saturday practice each week simply to shooting and end every session by shooting free throws. The junior power forward knocked in the first one with ease. Blanche Ely, which trailed by 15 at halftime, took a lead for the first time.
“Every time it comes down to crunch time I just think we’re in the gym we practice at,” Hazelton said. “Just tone everything out, just take my time and knock them down.”
Hazelton splashed home the second and Windermere took a timeout. The Wolverines’ final possession went nowhere. Windermere didn’t even get a shot off. Somehow, the Tigers rallied for a 56-54 win at the RP Funding Center to clinch a spot in the state championship once again.
Blanche Ely (24-6) will now get a shot to win its eighth state title Saturday. The Tigers will be back at George W. Jenkins Arena at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday for the 8A championship against Bradenton Lakewood Ranch, which blew out Fleming Island, 60-38, in the earlier 8A semifinal at Jenkins Arena.
For most of three quarters, it seemed hopeless for Blanche Ely. The Tigers couldn’t manage anything inside against star center Dakota Rivers, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. A three-star small forward in 247Sports.com’s rankings, Rivers blocked two shots in the first three minutes and altered countless more throughout the game. Blanche Ely missed its first nine shots against the Wolverines (27-5) and finished the opening period 2 of 15 from the field with its only two makes on three-pointers. The Tigers finished the first half at just 29.6 percent from the field, trailing 36-21.
“I was going to break out a bat,” coach Melvin Randall joked. “No, I told them just to keep grinding and keep your composure. We were down, and we have our little phrase that we say and we use, it’s ‘Piece by piece,’ so that’s what we were doing, taking advantage of it piece by piece until we got to that point where we needed to be more aggressive and put us in a position to win the ballgame.”
The comeback began in the waning moments of the third quarter. Blanche Ely trailed by double digits for most of the third until a miniature run in the final 31 seconds of the period. Tyrecke Francois started the burst by canning a three from the left wing, then the two teams traded turnovers until Francois again found himself with the ball on the left wing. The junior guard drilled another three with 12 seconds left to cut Windermere’s lead to 45-38 heading to the fourth.
Francois, who didn’t score for the first 23:29, hit four threes in the last 8:31 to finish with 12 points. The Tigers went 11 of 23 from three-point range and just 9 of 27 from inside the arc.
“I trusted my team. They were setting me up. We shoot a lot. Me shooting the shots that I shot, they were open looks and I took advantage,” Francois said. “My team trusts me and I just have to show up every day, every game and give it all I got.”
The Tigers finally cut the Wolverines’ lead down to two at 47-45 when Francois hit another three from the left wing with 5:11 to go, then his final three with 2:31 to go got the lead back down to two again.
Hazelton was pressed into 21 minutes of action off the bench Friday because of foul trouble for senior forward Joshua Scott and he was a revelation. Hazelton notched team-highs with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Blanche Ely ran its inside-out offense through the forward. With the Tigers down five, he tried to post up against Rivers and had his shot block. The junior was relentless, though. He grabbed one offensive rebound, then dove to the floor to help the Tigers come up with another. A loose ball passed through the hands of three Tigers before eventually winding up with Francois, who drilled his fourth three from the right wing.
Rivers answered with a dunk on the other end, then freshman guard Colby King banked in a three to slice Windermere’s lead to 54-53 with 1:57 left.
The Wolverines didn’t score again. They missed their last two field-goal attempts and missed the front end of a one-and-one to give Blanche Ely the ball with 57 seconds remaining. The Tigers ran down the clock until Hazelton drew the decisive foul.
Now the Tigers will get a shot at history against Lakewood Ranch (24-6) on Saturday. A second straight title would give Blanche Ely eight, matching Port St. Joe for third most in history.
“I’m just glad,” Randall said, “to say that we’ve got shooting practice in the morning.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2019 at 6:25 PM.
