'A dream of mine:' Williston fends off Hilliard challenge, wins second straight state championship

LAKELAND — Amarys Rodriguez uprooted his high school life this season for one goal.

The former Dunnellon Tiger transferred to Williston for a lofty purpose — to a win a state title.

When the team you depart for, though, won the state title the year before and amassed arguably the best talent in Class 1A in recent memory, suddenly it seems more attainable.

Saturday night, Rodriguez and Co. accomplished their mission.

Williston won its second straight state title Saturday with a 61-53 win over Hilliard in the FHSAA Class 1A Boys Basketball Final at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

The championship makes the Red Devils the first Gainesville-area squad to go back-to-back since GHS in 1999 and 2000, and the first in Levy County’s history.

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“It’s a great ending to a great season,” coach Jim Erwin said. “To go 29-2 with this group of young men, it’s a dream of mine.”

Here’s how the Red Devils pulled it off:

Hilliard throws some punches

Few teams in Florida HS basketball were as hot entering Saturday as Hilliard. The Flashers stormed through Region 3 of 1A and earned impressive wins over Newberry and Fort White.

That’s why Erwin and his team expected a challenge, even though on paper, Williston appeared the heavy favorite.

The numbers don’t account for CJ Hall, and the Hilliard star was the best on the floor Saturday. He shined with 23 points on 9-19 shooting and put the Flashers on his back.

“He’s a kid that’s hard to defend,” Erwin said. “He can shoot the perimeter shot, and he’s quick off the dribble.”

For three and a half quarters, Hall and Co. kept pace with the high-flying Red Devils until Williston relied on past experience to come out victorious.

Tough schedule proves dividend

Many 1A schools skate by with an easy schedule and no-sweat wins.

Not Williston. The Red Devils loaded their schedule with tough competition from squads all the way to 7A.

It arguably cost them a perfect season (the two losses came to state No. 2 Winter Haven and No. 12 Mater Lakes Academy), but it showed when the going got tough.

“When we went down one, we didn’t panic because of those situations,” Erwin said. “We put ourselves in a position to work through those opportunities.”

While WHS routinely crushed local teams, it won seven games by single digits this season.

“It helped us show that we can fight through anyone we go against,” senior Reggie White said.

A total team win

Erwin has spoken ad nauseum this season about the cohesion of his team, and that shined through Saturday.

While Hall carried Hilliard, Williston featured a balanced scoring attack. All five starters scored at least nine points, with Javon Brown leading the way with 15.

“We can go into the locker room right now, and not one kid knows who led us in scoring,” Erwin said. “Their goal is to win a state title.”

For newbies like Rodriguez, this mentality helped him integrate into the squad.

“From the beginning of the season, we’ve seen the individual impact each player can make,” he said. “We know the selfish way isn’t the way to win.”

From Rodriguez’s dominant defense with four fouls, and Kyler Lamb’s four blocks, each Red Devil contributed to the win.

It’s for that reason Erwin said this season has been his most fun in 25 years of coaching.

“It’s impossible to find a group of young men with this type of ability and work ethic,” Erwin said. “There’s never been an off the court issue either. I am going to miss them more as young men than basketball players.”

Erwin noted the Red Devils put the target on their back and lived by the mantra “State Championship or bust.”

Saturday night, a new saying can form.

“Mission accomplished.”

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Williston beats Hilliard to win FHSAA Class 1A Boys Basketball State Title