Having a strong season to date, Westminster Christian came into their Region 4-3A semifinal matchup with defending state champions Sagemont looking for an upset victory.
The result was not as desired, however, as the visiting Lions defeated the Warriors 80-52.
In the loss that featured a flurry of roar-inducing dunks and blocks by both teams, Westminster kept the score within 10 at the half, but a third quarter rally saw Sagemont pull away.
“They pushed the basketball on us and we weren’t able to get into position,” said head coach PJ Brown. “We just couldn’t make a basket.”
The Warriors were led once again by Justin Brown who finished with 26 points.
Keon Paicley added nine points while Tyler Halfaker added four.
Josue Velazquez finished with six while Jon Raine and Justin Rivera finished with a combined seven points.
While the loss spelled the end of the Warriors’ season, coach Brown says there is plenty of reason for fans to be excited about next season, as well as plenty of room for team improvement.
“We have all juniors and everybody is coming back,” said Brown. “This is just a learning experience and I think we learned that we have a long way to go to compete with a team like that. You have to be very smart and on top of your game because they’re the defending state champs and there is little margin for error against a team like that.”
Southridge Falls In Regionals
Victory seemed to be in the grasp of the Spartans basketball team, but ultimately Southridge found themselves on the losing end of the score sheet.
Facing South Miami in the Region 4-8A quarterfinals, Southridge saw their season come to an end in a 58-54 loss.
Shawn Chandler played strong once again, leading the way with 25 points for the Spartans.
Teammate Raquan Mitchell added 15 points, including a highlight-reel dunk in the third quarter.
Canaan Bartley added four points, as did Drakar Jerry.
“It’s tough,” said head coach John Herron to the media after the loss. “Two years in a row, and we lose another close game [to South Miami].”
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