By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Sometimes, the other guys are just better.

That was the sad conclusion after Lake Wales handed Osceola an 80-53 regional semifinal boys basketball loss Tuesday at the Highlander gym.

Lake Wales, 27-2, showed why it is ranked No. 3 in Class 5A and No. 11 overall in Florida by MaxPreps by shutting down the Kowboys offense with intense man-to-man pressure.

Lake Wales, led by center Oshey Washington (24 points), also displayed a multi-dimensional offense as guards Kevin Capers (16) and Russel Wilson (15) beat the Kowboys for close-range buckets.

“The first time we played them this year, I could tell that they were a final four team,” Osceola Coach Steve Mason said. “All you can say is that they are the better team.”

It was Lake Wales’ fourth win over Osceola this year. The Kowboys, 23-8, lost to only one unranked team in finishing one of their best seasons in 15 years.

“There wasn’t a whole lot we could do,” Mason said. “What I liked is that our guys competed all the way. They never gave up.”

It appeared that the Kowboys would be blown out early when Lake Wales went on a 13-0 run in the second quarter that gave the Highlanders a 36-17 lead. Osceola trailed 41-24 at the half.

But, with point guard Michael Sanchez (14), Jedarian Jackson (13), Nigel Daise (9) and Antonio Benitez (9) scrambling to find open shots, Osceola whittled the Highlanders’ lead to 12, 52-40, late in the third quarter.

But, Lake Wales seemed to have the answer each time Osceola pulled close. Either Washington had one of his four crowd-pleasing dunks or Capers and Wilson were hitting shots over Kowboys defenders.

“We were playing good defense. They just made shots,” Mason said. “They have a lot of options. We knew coming in that we were going to have to play a perfect game to win, and we didn’t. But, I can’t take anything away from our effort. Our guys played hard to the end.”

Mason emptied his bench late in the game and the Highlanders finished on a 13-4 run.

Mason said the Kowboys, ranked No. 9 in Class 5A, had an excellent season as they won the consolation championship at the Great Florida Shootout and claimed the Orange Belt Conference championship. The team advanced farther in the playoffs than any season since 1998.

Osceola loses Jackson and Benitez, two of the team’s top three scorers, along with Daise and Johnson Decembre (4) to graduation.

Lake Wales goes to Plant City Durant Friday for the regional final. That winner goes the state tournament at Lakeland next week.