LAKELAND – Wellington’s dream season ended with a 71-60 loss in the FHSAA 9A state finals.
Friday night the Wolverines had a strong showing in the 9A state semifinal game as they throttled a good Miramar team in a 75-60 victory over the Patriots.
Wellington’s big three would be on fire as they combined for 61 of their 75 points. Bryan Williams finished with 25 points, while Linton Brown ended things with 20 points, and Johnathan Philistin rounded out the bunch with 16 points.
The Wolverines faced off with the equally talented Orlando-Oak Ridge team in the 9A final game tonight.
Wellington would find itself down 17-10 at the end of the first quarter. Oak Ridge jumped to an early lead and kept the ball out of Wellington’s hand for the tail end of the first.
The first quarter total points would be Wellington’s lowest throughout the entire playoffs.
The Pioneers would continue their surge into the second quarter and be up 39-28 at halftime. Their leading scorer at the end of the first half was Robin Perry with 18 points, while the Wolverines top scorer going into halftime was Nico Toledo with 10 points.
Wellington would find some life and close in on Oak Ridge, cutting the lead to single digits at 48-42 as the third quarter ended.
With five minutes left in the fourth and final frame, the Pioneers still had a slight lead over the Wolverines, 54-49. Wellington would fight all the way to the end, but Oak Ridge would chop its way to the 9A state title in a 71-60 win.
Although the Wolverines didn’t win the state title, they lived up to the challenge of competing with any team in the state and proving their doubters wrong along the way.
“This is a very special group,” Wellington head coach Matt Colin said earlier in the season. “These kids work hard day in and day out. They don’t take anything for granted. They always have a fight and competitiveness to them no matter who we’re playing.”
Leading scorers for each team
Wellington: Nico Toledo with 19 points and Linton Brown with 17 points
Orlando Oak-Ridge: Robin Perry with 32 points
