- April 19, 2024
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WINDERMERE Sophomore guards Tre Mann and Terry Ivery combined for 46 points Tuesday, and The Villages Charter School overcame an early 14-point deficit before surviving a frantic finish to defeat Windermere Prep 72-70 in the Class 5A regional semifinals.
Windermere Prep hoped to make a return trip to The Lakeland Center – the site of the Lakers’ victory in the Class 3A state championship game last season – but head coach Ben Wilson’s team instead completed a successful 2016-17 campaign at 19-10. The Lakers entered the night having won six consecutive FHSAA state tournament games dating back to last year, but The Villages (27-2) opened the fourth quarter with a pivotal 13-7 run and the Buffalo never relinquished the lead.
The Villages, which was ranked No. 7 in the most recent FABC-Source Hoops Class 5A state poll, held a 72-66 advantage after Mac Harris made a free throw with 19 seconds left. Shaquan Jules’ two free throws closed No. 5 Windermere Prep’s gap to 72-68 with nine seconds to go, and shortly thereafter Jules was fouled while scoring a layup off a Buffalo turnover in the backcourt.
Jules missed converting the three-point play and Mann eventually went to the foul line with 7.7 seconds to go. Mann missed both attempts to keep it 72-70 and that set the stage for a strong drive to the basket by Windermere Prep senior David Nickelberry, who drew contact on his layup attempt as the ball circled the rim.
Jules went up for what appeared to be a successful tip-in with approximately 2 seconds to go, but an official stationed nearby to the left immediately waived it off due to basketball interference and the game subsequently ended although 1 second or so may have remained.
“My view, I thought [the ball] was coming off the rim,” Wilson said. “I just believe whole-heartedly that sucker was out and [Jules] made a heckuva tip-in finish. I thought we’d be playing some overtime, but some people just saw it differently.”
The matchup featured Nickelberry, a Memphis signee and the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Class 5A District 11 Player of the Year and Mann, a 6-foot-3 playmaker who received FACA Class 5A District 8 Player of the Year honors. Nickelberry finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Mann netted 15 of his game-high 26 points in the first half when the Buffalo were in danger of falling way behind.
Windermere Prep did in fact build an 18-4 lead by the 2:41 mark of the opening quarter, but The Villages went to a zone to help slow the pace. The Buffalo also found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter, scoring 29 points to pull even at halftime 40-40.
“We usually extend that kind of lead, but I think they [the Buffalo] stepped up some pressure and that got us to turn it over a little bit in the second quarter when we could have extended the lead to maybe 16 or 18,” Wilson said. “The zone slowed us down, which was one of my worries all year. Our strength is not outside shooting and if I was going to beat our team, I’d pack in a zone a little bit and shut down the driving lanes. But The Villages had a great game plan and sure enough they caught fire spreading us out a little bit.”
The Villages carried a 54-53 advantage into the fourth quarter, and Mann’s 7 points fueled a key run that gave the Buffalo a 67-60 lead with 3:56 to go. Ivery finished with 20 points and sophomore Montez Leath added 15 points for the Buffalo, who went 6-for-19 from behind the 3-point arc.
Junior guard Rahsaan Lewis shared team-high scoring honors for Windermere Prep with 19 points. Will Seelman (all in the first half) and Jules chipped in 13 points apiece as the Lakers encountered a grind after their quick start.
“It felt like we had one obstacle after another,” Wilson said. “Whether it was foul trouble or a missed free throw or a silly turnover, it just kind of kept escalating a bit. And each time we thought we were out of it, something else would happen and we fell back in. That was like our little theme of the night.”
