Wildcats dominating playoffs

Winter Park’s boys basketball team demolished Lake Howell in the regional quarterfinal Feb. 17 to catapult them into the next round. That 80-52 trouncing was the biggest scoring game and second widest blowout in class 6A.

The Wildcats had trouble pulling away from the Silver Hawks early on, leading by only 3 points after the first quarter and 5 at the half. But in the second half, the Wildcats exploded, launching into a 28-point tirade in the third quarter while holding Lake Howell to only 10. From there, the gap only widened as the ‘Cats poured on the points to coast to victory with bench players finishing the game.

Once again, the Wildcats’ Austin Rivers was key, scoring 25 points and grabbing 7 rebounds to lead his team to the win. But a strong team effort added up most of the points, as Austin Keel dropped 18 points into the net, including 15 from outside the big arc. Brett Comer picked up 14 points of his own, adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists while forcing 5 turnovers. James Ferrell had a breakout night, hitting 83 percent of his shots on the way to 13 points, including 9 from 3-point land. Ferrell added 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Tuesday night at press time, the Wildcats faced off against Hagerty, who beat Cypress Creek by an 81-74 margin in the first round. With a win, the Wildcats could be into a showdown against Spruce Creek or DeLand, depending on the victor in that game.

Early on in the season, the Wildcats destroyed Spruce Creek in their second biggest blowout of the year, winning 81-43. The Wildcats have yet to face DeLand this season.