8A-8 District Final: Wharton routs Freedom

<p>On Friday night at Plant, Wharton (24-4) avenged a 51-49 loss just over a month ago to the same scrappy Freedom (23-5) group. The two teams split the regular season series as Wharton won the first matchup 73-54.</p> <p>The Wildcats captured their second straight Class 8A-District 8 title in a convincing 64-34 victory over Freedom.<br /> <br /> The win gives Wharton a home region quarterfinal meeting on Thursday with Lakeland, who lost on its home floor 75-66. As for Freedom, the Patriots will travel to Bartow.</p> <p>Before all the victory chants and smiles from Wharton, the Wildcats made sure that there was aggression and purpose played with early on.</p> <p>Wharton took a 20-7 lead into the second quarter and kept a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.</p> <p>2019 UCF commit Darin Green Jr. finished with a game-high 18 points as he led the charge for the Wildcats offense.</p> <p>He says he didn’t feel any more pressure then he normally does in this district final.</p> <p>“Coach always tells me ‘let the game come to me and play my game’ and today I did that,” Green Jr. said. “I set good screens, I gave came off the screens. When they ran the zone, we attacked the gaps and kicked it out and that’s how we got our offense.”</p> <p>A few weeks before the season, Green Jr. announced his commitment to in-state UCF after mulling over his plethora of Division I offers. He says things changed after that on the court for him.</p> <p>“I felt like I got that out of the way but then a lot more people starting come at me,” Green Jr. said. “I had to step my defense up to. People were trying to come at me and prove that they were better than me.”</p> <p>Fellow 2019 forward McKinley Theirse was having his way down low and simply made it look easy with layup after layup for Wharton. He was very important to the offensive charge and quite frankly, it was the best I've seen the 6'6" forward play in his high school career.</p> <p>Theirse was making quick decisions, dribbling well and getting inside with ease. He's certainly an x-factor in this offense alongside Green Jr. and the trio of guards that run the offensive sets well in 2019 guard Jasper Floyd, 2020 guard Carr Thiam and 2020 guard Gio Reyes.</p> <p>Floyd and Thiam had nine points apiece for Wharton.</p> <p>Last season, the Wildcats beat Bartow in the region quarterfinal before losing to eventual state semifinalist Winter Haven in the region semifinal.</p> <p>Green Jr. and Theirse are locked in for the goal ahead, a trip to Lakeland for the state tournament. They'll have to get past Lakeland Thursday on its home floor and then work its way from there.</p> <p>“We just have to keep playing hard and doing us. We have to keep fighting through these wins,” Theirse said.</p> <p>“We just have to keep working hard in practice and staying together as a team,” Green Jr. said.</p> <p>Freedom’s lone player in double figures was senior guard Kevin Rodriguez with 15 points. He was hitting jumpers and creating open areas on the floor. Wharton didn't give Freedom much to work with, but Rodriguez has the looks of a real college contributor if he earns a chance. He's a leader and a gifted shooter.</p>