JUPITER – It was a very close one between the Jupiter Lady Warriors and the Vero Beach Lady Indians last night (Feb. 11).
The 48-41 overtime win by Jupiter shows that the margin of victory was seven. But up until the buzzer at the end of the fourth quarter, this game literally could have gone either way.
Down 40-38 with less than 20 seconds left in regulation, Vero Beach (13-5) grabbed a rebound off a missed free thrown by Jupiter and pushed the ball down the court. The Lady Indians executed their best possession of the game, as Destiny Nelson (four points) sent the game into overtime by way of her driving layup with less than 10 seconds left.
It was a 40-40 tie at that point and after the buzzer sounds to make the end of regulation official.
From that point on, it was go time for Jupiter senior standout Aayden Ghee, who scored seven of her team’s eight overtime points to secure their Class 7A-Region 3 quarterfinal win at home.(Image1)
Ghee (game-high 21 points) made a layup with 2:48 left to give Jupiter (11-3) a 42-40 lead. She even came through on the line later on, as she hit the majority of her free throws in overtime for the Lady Warriors.
In addition to that, Ghee grabbed a couple of rebounds and a key steal along the way.
It was quite clear that Ghee was the difference maker in this one.
“We’ve been going to overtime these past two games,” said Ghee, who hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to secure a 50-47 win and the Class 7A-District 10 title over Palm Beach Lakes on Feb. 5.
“The intensity is much higher in games,” Ghee continued. “The pace is much faster. I just wanted to get to scoring…My job on this team is to score buckets. We just came out on top in overtime.”
Ghee spoke on her rebounds and steal in overtime as well.
“I always hustle a lot,” Ghee said. “Coach [Mike Lynch] depends on me for a bunch of games. I’ve always been an all-around player. So with the steal, I’m always quick with my feet and I don’t gamble too much. Those are plays that are going to change the game for us.”
Lynch, the Lady Warriors head coach, spoke on Ghee’s level of execution in overtime.
“Well they (Vero Beach) went to a zone, and I needed a middle presence,” Lynch said. “So I took her (Ghee) off the perimeter and put her inside because she could score
inside and outside. And that’s what she did. She can either catch-and-shoot it or drive it in. She did a little bit of both.”(Image2)
Lynch touched on his team’s game plan and performance, particularly in overtime.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to hang on,” Lynch said. “We just need to shoot better on our free throws down the stretch.”
The next game for Jupiter will be at home again against Palm Beach Lakes (10-1) in the Class 7A-Region 3 semifinals. It will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
“I’m very excited about it,” Ghee said. “I know we could beat them
again. It’s gonna be another close game. Might go into overtime. Mighty go into double-overtime. The intensity is huge. Lakes is a fast and athletic team. We just gotta try to keep up with them.”
Asked if he could see the rubber match between Jupiter and Palm Beach Lakes going into overtime
again, he simply smiled as he gave his response.
“I’ll take it. I’ll take it,” Lynch said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
SIDE NOTES: Jupiter had three other key contributors in its playoff win over Vero Beach. Veronica Edwards and Elliana Manzo had 10 points each, while Ce Ce Runner added seven points of her own.
For Vero Beach, the top scorers were Sara Pedraza with 18 points (team-high; free throw made in overtime), Ratajah Dawson with 11 points, and Nelson with four points.
PALM BEACH LAKES TRIUMPHS
The Lady Rams went on the road to take care of business against the Centennial Lady Eagles last night (Feb. 11). They prevailed in their 53-37 win in the 7A-Region 3 quarterfinal round.
Senior standout Zaida Gonzalez led the way with 26 points, nine rebounds, and five steals, while fellow senior Deborrah Redmon added nine points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and five steals in this one. Junior Casey Lewis contributed five points and five rebounds in the Lady Rams 16-point margin of victory.
RUBBER MATCH
In the first Jupiter-Palm Beach Lakes game, it was the Lady Rams who came out on top in an easy 54-32 win over the Lady Warriors on Dec. 9, 2020. And in this season’s second matchup, Jupiter evened the score with its three-point overtime win last week.
The winner from next Tuesday’s playoff game will move on to the 7A-Region 3 title game, which will be on Friday, Feb. 19. The loser will go home and regroup for next season.
