WELLINGTON – Shortly after their practice ended yesterday evening (Feb. 22), the Wellington Wolverines players and coaches were on one accord with their ultimate goal.
They want to at least reach the FHSAA Class 7A State Final Four, which would be their second state appearance in three years at the Lakeland-based RP Funding Center.
But to do that, they have a huge task to face tonight (Feb. 23). The Wolverines (12-2) must avenge their first loss of the season to Dwyer (11-3), which came in a shocking and humbling 50-45 home loss on the night of Feb. 4.
The epic Wellington-Dwyer rematch just happens to be the 7A-Region 3 semifinals, which will take place at Dwyer High School for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
The stakes here are very high, so much so that the winner of this game will end the year as Palm Beach County’s No. 1-ranked public schools boys basketball team. In addition to that, the winner will move on to Friday night’s (Feb. 26) 7A-Region 3 and be the odds-on favorite to reach the 7A State Final Four.
“The biggest thing for us is repetition through the stuff we know to do,” Wellington head coach Matthew Colin said. “Getting them (the players) defensively intact, making sure that they know their assignments, making sure everything is communicated on what they’re supposed to do when guarding a particular player out there on the court.”
For Wellington, getting defensive stops and rebounds will be critical to tonight’s outcome. Colin knows this quite well, as he has been getting his players laser-focused on mastering those timing concepts in critical moments.
“If we’re able to do that, then it should help us through the course of the game”, Colin said.
In addition to that, the team’s collective mindset and level of commitment to hydration will be put on display from start to finish in tonight’s epic battle.
“Every possession is important to us,” said Colin, who hopes to get his team back to Lakeland for the first time since their 2018-2019 season. “We want to take care of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, we want to end every possession with a defensive rebound.”
In the end, it will come down to team basketball. This is something that will not be hard to see for those who are at the Wellington-Dwyer game tonight.
“The team that plays better team basketball will be the one that’s gonna come out with a win,” Colin said.
Wellington senior guard and Little Rock commit Christopher Walker agreed with Colin’s sentiment.
“It’s a really big game for us,” said Walker, who was recently selected as a McDonald’s All-American nominee. “It’s a rematch. We want to show that we are a better team that what we were back then. We want to show as a organization that we can bounce back.”
Wellington senior guard Jordan Johnson revealed the keys to winning tonight’s game at Dwyer.
“We’re gonna win by playing defense, not just offense,” Johnson said. “We gotta lock in defensively. If we do that, then we’ll get there.”
Follow New Era Prep tonight on our Twitter page at @EraPrep for live updates. You will see in real time how it all progresses at different points of the game.
