8A State Semifinal: Blanche Ely rallies to beat Windermere late

<p>LAKELAND - Windermere led the entire game up until the final two points, free throws from 2020 Blanche Ely forward Malachi Hazelton.</p> <p>The defending state champions overcame a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat Windermere 56-54 and advance to Saturday's Class 8A State Final against Lakewood Ranch.</p> <p>The Tigers (23-6) saved the drama and comeback for the end and it was rather fitting for a program that has won five titles in the last seven years. It was the most impressive rally all week long at the RP Funding Center leaving one team stunned and another beyond ecstatic to move forward.</p> <p>Broward County teams are a perfect 8-of-8 in gameplay this week (as of now) with Westminster (Class 4A), University (Class 5A), Stranahan (Class 6A), Dillard winning 47-44 in overtime over Hillsborough in a Class 7A state semifinal and now Blanche Ely earning the gritty victory.</p> <p>Hazelton led the charge with 14 points and eight rebounds as 2020 duo Tyrecke Francois (12 points) and Aderes Staton-McCray (9 points) had some very bright moments.</p> <p>Hazelton's length and aggressive stood out when it mattered the most. The Tigers needed it with 2019 forward Joshua Scott held to zero points and in foul trouble for much of the game. Stanton-McCray was super active in the first half and was a spark to his side despite the deficit.</p> <p>Francois hit consecutive 3's to end the third quarter and Blanche Ely got the momentum it needed while cutting the deficit to only seven points.</p> <p>For Windemere (26-5), the Wolverines got great production from 2019 starters Dakota Rivers (13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks) and Dante Love (12 points on 4-of-6 shooting). Rivers had a huge block under one minute left that gave Windermere the ball back. He is going to be a key piece right out of the gates as a freshman at FGCU this fall.</p> <p>The x-factor for Windermere was 2021 guard Elliott Yorke who had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting which included 12 points at the half. He is a strong-minded who isn't afraid to attack and use his body to score. Yorke had the ball with 3.2 seconds left after Windermere called a play but he failed to get a shot off and the buzzer sounded.</p> <p>The Wolverines return York, 2021 guard Trey Moss, 2020 forward Eric Canavan and a few other shooters. In just its second year of existence, Windermere had quite an impressive run and built up a very young program quickly.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Final Score (8A state semifinal):<br /> <br /> Blanche Ely 56<br /> Windermere 54<br /> <br /> The Tigers will defend their title on Saturday against Lakewood Ranch.<br /> <br /> ????leaders <a href="https://twitter.com/BlancheEly_BB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BlancheEly_BB</a> <br /> Malachi Hazelton 14<br /> Tyreke Francois 12<a href="https://twitter.com/WHS_Hoopz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHS_Hoopz</a> <br /> Elliott Yorke 17<br /> Dakota Rivers 13<br /> Dante Love 12 <a href="https://t.co/X0hPuvrQnk">pic.twitter.com/X0hPuvrQnk</a></p> — ᴊᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇʀ (@JakePerper) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1104144980321411072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>