Mater Lakes uses second half surge to top Northwestern; Carrollton advances

Sometimes a basketball game can turn on a dime.

For Mater Lakes, that “dime” came early in the third quarter on Tuesday night when the Bears, trailing Northwestern by seven points, scored seven points in less than 10 seconds to stun the Bulls and tie the game.

The quick run turned out to be the start of a massive 17-0 run that turned a seven point deficit into a 10-point lead. That was the key to a nice come-from-behind 56-50 win for the Bears over host Miami Northwestern in a Region 4-4A semifinal.

The win advances Mater Lakes (20-9) to Friday’s Region 4-4A final where the Bears will have a major challenge. Awaiting them will be Plantation American Heritage. The same Heritage team that has won six state titles the last seven years and the same one that beat them by 34 points two weeks ago in the district championship game.

But Bears players weren’t worried about their next opponent on Tuesday night, they were just happy hugging each other when it was over and to be advancing.

“I’m very proud of the girls for what they got done tonight,” Mater Lakes coach Freddie Bitondo said. “Obviously we have a big challenge in front of us with Heritage on Friday but it’s a great problem to have. The alternative tonight would’ve been the season ending and we weren’t ready to do that yet.”

Every comeback has a catalyst and the clear standout for the Bears was sophomore do-everything guard Vanessa Vancott. After trudging her way through a quiet first half with just eight points, Vancott exploded for 22 in the second half to finish the night with 30 points.

She was also the one that sparked that lightning seven-point flurry by dropping a pair of free throws. When the Bulls turned over the inbounds pass, Mya Glover, who finished with 10 points, was there for the steal and driving layup. Vancott then stole the next inbounds pass underneath the basket and was fouled as she made the shot. She made the free throw and just like that, it was 28-28 with 6:28 left in the third.

The Bears then rolled up 10 more consecutive points to lead 38-28 and led 46-38 going to the third.

“That was obviously a key moment in the game and it allowed us to get the momentum in our favor,” Bitondo said. “We had a game plan and that plan was to press them. We didn’t do that in the first half but when we came out in the second half, we were determined to come out and get that done.”

The Bulls would not go away quietly. Led by Ariana Jean-Baptiste, who led all Bulls scorers with 17 points, Northwestern chipped away at the Bears lead.

Trailing 52-48, the Bulls had a chance to cut it to two or even one (with a three-pointer) with 90 seconds left. But there was Vancott again, making a steal at mid-court and sprinting to the basket for a layup to put ML up by six.

“Me and my team, we’ve worked hard all season to put in the work and just went out and executed tonight,” Vancott said. “We didn’t worry about being behind the way we were, we know how to come back. We went on that big run and once we did that, we knew this game would be ours. It’s a matter of trusting your coach and your teammates.”

Bitondo couldn’t help but gush when asked about his star player who averages 27 points a game.

“Vanessa is a hidden gem,” he said. “Since the first day I’ve had her in the program, day in and day out she’s worked harder than anybody I’ve seen and when you watch her out on that floor tonight doing what she did, it’s a joy to watch.”

For the Bulls, it was a frustrating end to a very promising season. The program, which has not made it to the state final four since 1983, was looking for its first regional final berth since 2001 but instead finished 21-6.

▪ Region 4-3A semifinal - Carrollton 71, Pine Crest 66: Junior Sela Travieso finished with 25 points and six assists to lead the Cyclones (17-8) to the victory at their home gym on Tuesday night.

Carrollton advances to the regional finals for the first time in school history.

Gabriella Garcia-Pons totaled 19 points and six rebounds while Alissa Azcuy had 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.

MORE SCORES

4-7A: Doral 76, Western 30; Miami High 61, Cypress Bay 21; 4-6A: Nova 63, Stuart Martin County 25; 4-5A: Northeast 51, Sebastian River 36; Blanche Ely 57, Jensen Beach 39; 4-4A: American Heritage 65, Naples Aubrey Rogers 28; 4-2A: Miami Country Day 59, Palmer Trinity 27; Westminster Academy 64, Somerset Prep 59; 4-1A: Schoolhouse Prep 43, Miami Christian 40; Boca Raton Grandview Prep 92, Hebrew Academy 37.