Saturday’s Class 3A Region 2 Championship featured #3 overall Orlando Lake Highland Prep hosting #11 overall The Villages Charter. Both teams have been on a roll lately and this matchup, at least in terms of rankings, was the best of any contest regardless of classification Saturday night. Maybe that’s why the game was sold out, the gym was full an hour before tip-off and The Villages had two full charter buses of fans, and they weren’t students!
It looked like that charter buses might have been a waste as Lake Highland jumped out 10-0. Shiva Atwal, a 6’5 senior, hit back-to-back threes, followed by two free throws from 6’3 senior R.J. Ingram and a score at the rim from 6’5 senior Michael Madueme. The Villages finally got on the board with a three from 6’0 junior Aaron Britt. The Highlanders weren’t done. Michael Dadlani, a 6’3 junior hit two free throws, Atwal scored again and 6’6 sophomore N’mare Collins converted a drive to put Lake Highland up 16-3. Ethan Bevis, a 6’6 senior for The Villages scored inside but Atwal countered that with one of his own and after one period, Lake Highland looked unstoppable, up 18-5.
In the second period, a Britt three was offset by an Atwal three and two free throws from The Villages 6’6 junior Jomar Bernard were countered by a driving score from Madueme. With the score now 23-10, The Villages got on a run. Herly Brutus, a 6’5 senior, scored on a drive, Britt hit two free throws, 6’3 senior Jared Thompson scored on a drive and Britt scored in transition. Very quickly, the lead for Lake Highland was down to five at 23-18. Madueme stopped the bleeding for the Highlanders, but The Villages wasn’t done. Thompson hit a three, then after an Ingram basket for Lake Highland, The Villages closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run, five of those from Britt. What had been an 18-5 first quarter lead for Lake Highland Prep was now a 29-27 half-time advantage for The Villages.
Ingram tied the game on Lake Highland’s first possession of the third quarter. The teams then traded baskets until Bevis hit a three for the Villages to go up 34-31. Lake Highland then regained the lead after a pair of free throws from 6’0 senior Robert Oskarsson and then Oskarsson scored in transition to put the Highlanders up by one at 35-34. That didn’t last long as Britt scored on a drive and Bernard hit a pair of free throws for The Villages. Dadlani answered with a three for Lake Highland and now we were back to a see-saw battle. With the score tied at 43-43, Thompson of The Villages hit a three. Brandow Grow, a 6’0 junior, hit a pair of free throws for Lake Highland. Just before the horn, Thompson drained another three to put The Villages up four 49-45, with one period left to play.
Britt scored at the rim to increase The Villages lead but that was answered by a Madueme basket for the Highlanders. The Villages then made a concentrated effort to exploit the defensive mismatch on Bernard. He scored six straight points, giving The Villages a ten-point advantage, 57-47, just past the midway point of the period. Madeume hit a three to shrink the deficit to seven, but that is as close as Lake Highland would get. The Villages would hold the Highlanders off from the free throw line to win 61-52.
Britt led The Villages with 20 points. Thompson added 17 points and Bernard finished with 11 points.
For Lake Highland, Madueme paced the team with 18 points while Atwal added 13 points.
The Villages will now face Jacksonville Andrew Jackson at 7PM, March 9, in Jacksonville in the semi-finals.