No one can ever question Wekiva’s toughness.
The Lady Mustangs battled for an overtime win in the Class 7A state semifinals and then survived a barrage of three pointers in the championship game. That durability helped Wekiva defeat Harmony 59-48 for the school’s first state championship.
Early on, Wekiva set a physical tone by winning the battle of the boards that led to a lot of second-chance points. But at the same time, Harmony’s Julia Ingler provided a glimpse of things to come.
Ingler hit her first three pointer to put the Longhorns up by one late in the first. Wekiva responded with back-to-back three’s by Kyla Allison and Ariel Colon for a 13-8 lead.
A 3-0 run by Harmony pulled them within four late in the second quarter. Wekiva’s Yolizma Cupidan ended that run with a basket and then Allison’s three pointer put the Lady Mustangs up 23-14.
Ingler hit two more three’s in the third quarter that helped keep her team in the game, but Cupidan’s 10-point third quarter , which included two three’s, gave the Lady Mustangs a 36-25 lead going into the final quarter.
The fourth became a survival of the fittest at the free-throw line and Wekiva proved to be the most fit. Ingler hit three more three pointers and Rebekah Fitzpatrick converted two three-point plays twice within a 30-second span to cut Wekiva’s lead to four, but the charity stripe was the Lady Mustangs best friend.
Wekiva was 15-of-17 from the free throw line down the stretch, including nine alone from Allison, to close out the game .
Allison led the Lady Mustangs with a game-high 23 points. Cupidan also finished in double-digits with 16 points. Ciara Cumbie led the team with 10 rebounds.
Harmony’s Ingler finished with a team-high 21 points, while Fitzpatrick added 12.