Playoff basketball: King's Academy girls come up just short in region championship
SEFFNER — Chris Race is never going to lower the expectations for his King’s Academy girls basketball team, whether the Lions are a prohibitive favorite or a rebuilding program.
In Thursday night’s Region 3-3A final at Seffner Christian Academy, it was more of the latter for Race and his squad, who played this season with no seniors and battled injuries and illnesses along the way.
Despite the experience of winning back-to-back regional titles, including a win over Seffner on its home court last season, Thursday proved to be too much for King’s as the Crusaders came away victorious 47-42.
“We beat them here last year and it was this same type of crowd, same fun game,” said Race, who took over a struggling program five years ago and turned the Lions into a perennial Class 3A power. “It sucks to lose, but it wasn’t like a huge upset.”
After making the nearly four-hour bus drive from West Palm Beach earlier in the day, King’s struggled to find consistency on the offensive end, scoring only 9 points in the first quarter and trailing 16-15 at the half.
“We couldn’t fall into our rhythm,” said junior Brielle George, who finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. “I think we were nervous. The first quarter I would definitely say there was a bunch of nerves.”
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Junior guard Julia Vazquez, who left the game late in the second quarter with an ankle injury but returned after the intermission, gave the Lions a spark in the third quarter. Her 3-pointer tied the score at 26-all with three minutes left in the period.
“I had to fix my mindset and knew my ankle was going to be fine,” Vazquez said. “Personally, I think we’re the better team. They just had a better game.”
Unfortunately for King’s, the Crusaders (25-4) began creating separation, taking a 34-28 lead on senior Nicole Carreno’s 3-pointer late in the third. Seffner pushed the advantage to 43-32 with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter.
“We had to stick to the plan and keep fighting,” Race said. “Our girls fought all the way to the buzzer.”
The Lions made one last gasp, getting within 45-42 on junior Sophia Kateris’ layup with less than 10 seconds remaining. King’s nearly got a steal on Seffner’s ensuing inbounds, but the officials called a foul and the Crusaders iced it at the line.
“We had a completely different team last year,” said Kateris, who finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. “This year we have brand new people and we’re still learning to play together. We were really confident coming in here, though. Next year we’re going to get them back.”
The Lions end their season 19-10 and Seffner advances to the state semifinals in Lakeland after winning its first regional crown since 2017.
“They’re a great team, a well-coached team,” Crusaders coach Joe Cooper said. “We had our hands full tonight. They came and beat us here last year. They were the team that knew how to get it done and we were trying to get over that hump.”
King’s junior forward Jade Jones, a Division I college prospect with offers from Florida Atlantic and Southern Mississippi, among others, had 10 points. Vazquez and sophomore Sofia Rathburn each scored five.
More playoff results
Doral Academy 72, Boca Raton 50
Sports Leadership & Management 84, Somerset-Canyons 55
Miami Christian 67, Berean Christian 45
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: King's Academy girls basketball falls just short in region final
