The wait is over for Wildwood.
At long last, the Wildcats are state champions.
Wildwood defeated South Walton 58-48 on Wednesday night in the 1A final at The Lakeland Center to win the program’s first state title.
The history of the program dates back to 1976, the first year the FHSAA conducted a playoff in girls basketball. The Wildcats were state runner-up in 1994 and 2015.
Senior Jada Perry scored a game high 25 points and hit six consecutive free throws in the final 90 seconds to seal the victory.
Kari Niblack, one of the top junior forwards in the nation, contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds despite being saddled with foul trouble.
The Wildcats took the lead for good when sophomore Ashtin Ingram drilled a three-pointer with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter. Ingram, who was 0-for-7 from the floor in the state semifinals, knocked down four three’s in Wednesday’s title game.
That helped to open the paint for Perry, who took over in the second half by scoring 18 of her 25 points in the final two quarters.
Perry’s basket with 3:58 remaining in the game gave the Wildcats a comfortable 12-point advantage.
The combination of Perry, Niblack and Briana Rushing limited UNF signee Savannah Slade, South Walton’s leading scorer, to just seven points and five rebounds. Slade fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, ending any serious threat of a Seahawks rally.
Wildwood coach Richard Hampton, who guided the Wildcats to both of their previous state finals appearances, also serves as the principal of the school.
The final buzzer elicited both excitement and emotion for Hampton and the Wildcats, who were cheered on by several hundred supporters that made the 65-mile journey to support their team.
Many of them will likely be back next week, when Wildwood’s boys team plays in the 1A state semifinals.
Wednesday night, the stage belonged to the girls team, which made history with the first girls basketball championship in Sumter County history.