Coral Springs Makes Crucial Plays Late, Advances To 8A Final

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LAKELAND – Coral Springs just wants some respect.

It's hard not to respect a team that's about to play for a state championship.

Trevon White scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Chris Lucien scored four crucial points in the final minute and a half as Coral Springs defeated Winter Park 53-49 Friday evening in the Class 8A state semifinals at The Lakeland Center.

The Colts, who will face Sarasota Riverview in Saturday night's Class 8A championship game, trailed 49-48 after the Wildcats went on a quick 5-0 spurt. After Jared Gill missed a three-pointer, it was 5-foot-8 senior Lucien who dug out a rebound in the lane and got a floater to go – putting his team up 50-49.

Coral Springs got a stop, forcing Winter Park to take a foul and Lucien stepped to the line and calmly knocked down a pair of free throws – putting the Colts up by three with 22 seconds to play.

Myron Dewar added another free throw in the waning seconds to push the Colts lead to 53-49.

Coral Springs head coach Devin Barta said he liked what he saw out of his team Friday.

"I was happy with the way we made plays down the stretch," Barta said about his team that was playing in a basketball state final four for the first time in school history. "Earlier in their careers – maybe earlier this season – these guys had trouble closing out close games. But tonight we really buckled down in the last two minutes, made our free throws, didn't turn the ball over and we were able to go out and beat a pretty good, well-coached Winter Park team."

"Chris [Lucien] has made a lot of clutch plays this year. He's made a buzzer-beater this season. He was 8-for-8 from the free throw in the regional final game. We actually drew up the play to get the ball in his hands late because I know he has confidence when he steps to the free throw line," Barta said.

Winter Park (21-10), a team that won an 8A title in 2014, kept the game close throughout. The key for Coral Springs, though, was being able to keep Wildcats go-to player Wyatt Wilkes under wraps for most of the night – holding the 6-foot-8 shooter to just 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting.

Coral Springs' star Dewar seemed to be the focus of Winter Park's defense too. The senior, who's averaged nearly 30 points per game this season, finished with just 14, but added eight rebounds and three assists.

Dewar said he was just going with the flow.

"I was just trying to let the game come to me, make the right basketball play," Dewar said. "I wasn't trying to force anything. If I had an open teammate, I was going to get them the ball."

Barta said Dewar, while extremely talented, is still just a part of a whole.

"We're a team. Yes, Myron can put up some gaudy numbers in the past; but we have a lot of guys on this team that can play. It speaks to the talent and the work ethic of our team when Myron has what some would call a 'pedestrian' game and his teammates pick him up and we win."

Coral Springs seemed to be in control late in the third quarter, holding a 40-34 lead with less than five seconds left. Then Wilkes hit a three-pointer, the Colts turned the ball over in the backcourt, and Wilkes hit another three as time expired – sending the game tied at 40 into the fourth quarter.

The Colts got back in top position by opening the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run – a bucket by Dewar and four points from White.

"Trevon White has been coming up big for us all season," Barta said. "Some of the other guys may get a lot more ink, but he's an integral part of what we do. He put in a lot of work this offseason. But that only shows people that we're not a one-trick pony."

What lies ahead for the Colts is a Riverview team that narrowly escaped with a 64-63 overtime win over South Miami in the other semifinal, but has a talented trio of players that combined for 57 points.

"These guys aren't scared of anything," Barta said. "We've played a tough schedule – the Dillard's, the Ely's – and I think it sharpened us for this moment. We've been in high-pressure situations a lot this season. I tell them all the time 'you guys are my horse, even if we don't win the race'. I trust these guys."

Box Score

Class 8A state semifinals: Coral Springs 53, Winter Park 49 – CSP (21-7): White 17, Dewar 14, Fils 10, Lucien 9, Gill 3. WP (21-10): Wilkes 14, Buckley 10, Farley 8, Nicoll 6, Hodges 4, Foy 4, Sproles 3. Halftime: CSP 23-22. Three-pointers: Wilkes 4, Gill, Lucien. Fouled out: None. Technicals: None. Rebounds: Dewar, White 8. Assists: Dewar 3.