Persevering after key player’s injury, Sagemont boys’ hoops advances to regional final
Weston Sagemont’s boys’ basketball season could have hit a major snag in late December.
The Lions were 9-0 and looking confident they could make another deep playoff run as they did last year when they reached the state final when senior Cameron Gibson, their starting point guard, tore his ACL.
But Sagemont proved it had too much experience and resilience to fold.
“We had to reinvent ourselves halfway through the season without him,” Sagemont coach David Roe said. “They carried themselves like they have in the past and took a punch, but didn’t fall apart.”
The Lions showed some more of those qualities on Tuesday night as they held off Miami True North for a 73-54 victory in a Region 4-2A semifinal at Sagemont’s home gym.
The Lions (25-4) stand one win away from reaching the state final four for the second consecutive season, and will host Dade Christian in the regional final on Friday at 7 p.m. The Crusaders advanced by virtue of a 44-40 win over Jupiter Christian. Sagemont beat Dade Christian 61-54 for the District 15-2A title on Feb. 10.
The Lions are trying to win their third ever state championship after winning titles in 2011 and 2014.
Sagemont returned five players - including Gibson - from last year’s team, which fell short of a championship after losing in the state final against state powerhouse Orlando Christian Prep.
Against the Titans (24-6), who narrowed an 18-point deficit early in the third quarter to only nine points with six minutes left in the game, Sagemont’s veteran core made the plays needed to stem the tide.
Ashton Smith hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter and finished with 14 points. Tynan Becker led the Lions with 17 points, Danielius Kasparas had 13 points and Maxx Martinez totaled nine points. J-Roc Lopez led True North with a game-high 24 points while Jermaine Freeman added 13 points.
Sagemont hit nine three-pointers overall.
“It helps having seniors, a little more consistent and a little more poised down there so every time they made a run, we responded,” Roe said.
Without Gibson, Roe said Sagemont had to go deeper into its bench and rotate 9-10 players in every game since. It resulted in an effective offense where the Lions’ guards can successfully create space in both the halfcourt and full court game for their bigs near the rim.
“It’s awesome to be in this position and you never want an injury like that and lose a player like Cameron who was one of our top guards,” Roe said. “He gave us a different element and it wasn’t easy to find a solution to (losing him) especially when you have younger kids that are used to success. They did a good job buying in and showing trust in each other and what we do.
“We had variations of formations so it wasn’t something we didn’t do before. It’s just more prevalent now without him. We had to do trial runs against high quality teams since we have a tough schedule so it didn’t go as easy as it could, but now we have it ironed out and it should go well hopefully and give us a good shot at (winning the championship).”
MORE REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Region 4-7A - Columbus 68, Doral Academy 29; Deerfield Beach 64, Miami Palmetto 55.
Region 4-6A - Dwyer 75, Southridge 66; Pines Charter 71, St. Thomas Aquinas 69
Region 4-5A - Belen Jesuit 63, Rockledge 25; Norland 65, Riviera Beach Suncoast 64
Region 4-4A - Mater Lakes 59, Hallandale 47; North Broward Prep 75, Somerset Canyons 58
Region 4-3A - Riviera Prep 71, Divine Savior 41; Westminster Academy 87, Miami Country Day 74
Region 4-2A - Dade Christian 44, Jupiter Christian 40
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
Note: All games at 7 p.m.
4-7A - Deerfield Beach at Columbus
4-6A - Pines Charter at Dwyer
4-5A - Norland at Belen
4-4A - North Broward Prep at Mater Lakes
4-3A - Westminster Academy at Riviera Prep
4-2A - Dade Christian at Sagemont
