Western boys’ basketball team peaking at right time as regional playoffs begin
A battle of two district champions with nearly identical records surprisingly ended in a lopsided victory on Tuesday night at Western High School.
The fourth-seeded Western men’s basketball dominated a talented Hialeah Gardens squad, 81-44, for its seventh straight win in the Region 4-7A quarterfinals. Winners of 11 of their past 13, the Wildcats seem to be peaking at just the right time.
Wildcat guard Calvin Thompson, who had a team-high 10 points, hit a corner three on the game’s first possession to give the Wildcats a lead it would never give up. That lead grew to a 45-26 advantage by halftime and ballooned to 37 points by game’s end, initiating a running clock in the fourth quarter’s closing moments.
The Wildcat defense frustrated star Hialeah Gardens guard Sebastion Pupo, who finished with 14 points one week after registering a triple double in the District 15-7A championship, which the Gladiators won. Western pressured Pupo all game, forcing turnovers and occasionally blocking his shots.
The Gladiators’ 44 points were their lowest output of the season, just below their 47 points against Columbus in the regular season.
“We watch film everyday,” Western coach Alan Hardy said. “We knew that they had a really good guard in [Pupo], so our game plan was to take him away, pressure everybody else and try to make somebody else beat us.”
Hialeah Gardens’ guard Khalil Volel led all scorers with 20 points, but the rest of his team, excluding Pupo, netted just 10 points. Meanwhile, the Wildcats received contributions from up and down the lineup.
Veteran guard Ethan Panton-Hezell added nine points, and the 6-foot-7 Maddox Fowles used his size to make his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Fowles finished with eight points, including a tip-in and electric dunk off a fast break that had fans on their feet.
“I think [the game] went really well,” Panton-Hezell said. “We dominated from the tip, and we just controlled the game the whole way. Now we’re on to the next round.”
Up next for the Wildcats is Columbus, ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps national rankings. The Explorers handled Boca Raton 92-28 in their quarterfinal on Thursday.
Western knows that’s no small task, but Hardy knew the Explorers were on the horizon.
“I was looking, and we should be matching up with Columbus, one of the top teams in the country,” Hardy said. “We wanted to use this game as some type of motivation, put some fire up on us going into next week.”
Following the game, Hardy asked his team if they believed they could beat the Explorers. In unison, the Wildcats said ‘Yes.’ They’ll get their chance at Columbus in the Region 4-7A semifinals on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
▪ Region 4-5A quarterfinal - Miami Norland 74, Somerset Academy 67: Senior Marcus Allen had 15 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Vikings (17-10) to the victory over the Panthers (20-8) at their home gym. Triston Wilson totaled 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Norland will host Oakland Park Northeast on Tuesday in the regional semifinals at 7 p.m.
When the Vikings beat Archbishop McCarthy 68-59 for the District 15-5A title last week, it marked the 15th consecutive district title for the Vikings with their coach Lawton Williams III.
In his coaching career at Norland, Williams has amassed a 459-148 record (and counting). The Vikings have won six state titles and six region titles. They’ve played in 12 regional finals.
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinal - Westwood Christian 66, Hebrew Academy 41: William Nadaskay finished with 16 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals to lead the Warriors (18-6). Jason Martinez also had 10 points and six rebounds. Westwood now travels to face True North on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the regional semifinals.
MORE BOYS’ BASKETBALL
▪ Region 4-7A quarterfinals: Columbus 92, Boca Raton 28; Coral Springs 54, Coral Glades 41; Miami High 54, Cypress Bay 38.
▪ Region 4-6A quarterfinals: South Plantation 60, Blanche Ely 42; St. Thomas Aquinas 69, Plantation 52; West Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 72, Miami Southridge 49; Pembroke Pines Charter 65, Boyd Anderson 53.
▪ Region 4-5A quarterfinals: Northeast 66, Archbishop McCarthy 64; TERRA 62, Stranahan 57; Rockledge 62, Northwestern 36.
▪ Region 4-4A quarterfinals: Mater Lakes 82, Monsignor Pace 52; Gulliver 52, Cardinal Gibbons 51; Calvary Christian 79, Delray American Heritage 32; North Broward Prep 74, St. Brendan 49.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinals: Westminster Academy 57, Westminster Christian 37; Boca St. Andrews 54, NSU University School 53; Hialeah Educational 75, Miami Country Day 64; Riviera Prep 76, Florida Christian 64.
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinals: Sagemont 84, Morningside Academy 40; True North 91, Miami Christian 60.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal - North Lauderdale Somerset Prep 73, Boca Raton St. Andrews 21: Issys Mims led Somerset with 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. Riley Stoker had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Jocelyn Gagnon had 15 points.
▪ Region 4-7A quarterfinals: Doral 83, Ferguson 21; Western 63, Cypress Bay 35; Boca Raton 36, Miami Palmetto 26; Miami High 46, Coral Springs 37
▪ Region 4-6A quarterfinals: Blanche Ely 71, Loxahatchee Seminole Ridge 25; Dillard 65, Nova 39; St. Thomas Aquinas 75, Delray Atlantic 22; Southridge 51, West Palm Beach Dwyer 35.
▪ Region 4-5A quarterfinals: American Heritage 82, Jensen Beach 29; Norland 49, Northwestern 46; Boynton Beach 44, Homestead 41
▪ Region 4-4A quarterfinals: SLAM 60, Coral Springs Charter 20; Monsignor Pace 53, North Broward Prep 50; Somerset Canyons 50, Mater Lakes 24; Cardinal Gibbons 76, Pine Crest 53.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinals: Miami Country Day 84, Ransom Everglades 29; Carrollton 70, Palmer Trinity 57; Westminster Academy 77, Somerset South Homestead 36.
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinals: Miami Christian 73, Boca Raton Donna Klein 44; Merritt Island Christian 64, Hebrew Academy 35; Hobe Sound Pine School 54, Schoolhouse Prep 51.