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Basketball
Kanye Jones scored 16 of his game-high 24 points as the Windermere Wolverines send the Osceola Kowboys down to a season-ending 69-55 defeat in the a Class 7A, Region 2 quarterfinal playoff game.
The Kowboys, who were the defending Class 8A champions, but who graduated their top eight players after that 26-7 campaign, finishes their season with a 19-8 record.
It was a back-to-back loss for the Kowboys, who had dropped a close 46-43 decision just six days earlier to Windermere in the Class 7A, District 6 championship game at Celebration.
Unlike that game, where Osceola held a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter, Windermere would jump on top early and lead all but three minutes in the game. Osceola would lead briefly 6-4, but Trey
Osceola would lead briefly 6-4, but Trey Moss would lead a 12-6 run to end the first quarter with Windermere up 16-12. Moss would be dominate in the first half, scoring 16 points, as the Wolverines would extend the lead to nine at 32-23.
The Kowboys would fight back in the third. Senior Amari Thomas would score 12 points in the period, and would then hit a three-pointer on Osceola’s first possession of the fourth period to pull Osceola to with three at 45-42.
That would be as close as the Kowboys would get.
Jones would spur a 13-0 run by scoring four quick buckets, as the Wolverines went up 58-42 with 3:30 remaining.
Osceola would attempt to extend the game by fouling, but Windermere answered by hitting nine out of 10 foul shots down the stretch to cruise to the win.
For the contest, Moss finished with 20 points, Elliot Yorke added 15, and Jaden Golston had either for the Wolverines (20-8) who moved on to play Tampa Wharton (25-3) in a regional quarterfinal.
Thomas, a senior playing in his last game for Kowboys, went out in style with 19 points. Junior Josh Blazquez had 16, Junior David Roc – who missed many games with an assortment of injuries this season – had eight.
Still, it was another outstanding season for the Kowboys under Alexander. Although the team just missed winning 20 games for a fourth straight year, the Kowboys have won 135 games, two state championships, a state runner-up, and multiple invitational championships with only 37 losses in six years under Alexander.
