Lakeland Fl- The Hilliard Flashes attempted to complete the seemingly improbable journey to the championship Friday night, when they faced Hawthorne in the Class 1A State Championship. This was the Red Flashes first appearance in the Final 4 since 1979 as Hilliard fell short in the Final 4 that year. 41 years since their last visit, the Red Flashes finally made it to the title game where they faced Hawthorne.
Hilliard possessed a decisive size advantage against the shorter Hawthrone team. They also came into the game with UNF commit Jacob Crews who scored 29 points in their semifinal game. So it was of no surprise that the Hornets and Coach Greg Bowie focused on Crews from the start. They double-teamed Crews every time he touched the ball. Sometimes bracketing him in zone coverage to prevent him from getting the ball. The result saw Crews scoreless in the first quarter as Hilliard led 7-5.
With crews being neutralized, Hilliard dialed up Shemar Melton’s number. Melton knocked down open shots as the Red Flashes found the open man. Yet Hawthorne continued to attack the rim with their smaller guards. Crews would find his rhythm in the second scoring 7 points as Hilliard clang to a 18-17 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Crews and company continued to struggle with the smaller guards. Torey Buie registered 3 steals for Hawthorne as he Jeremiah James, and Dre Lawrence harassed the ball handlers for Hilliard. Hawthorne stole the ball 10 times from Hilliard and forced 17 turnovers. Buie also caught fire from the field scoring a game high 20 points.
With Hawthorne hanging around in the fourth, tension was thick in the air as the once raucous Hilliard crowd held their breath in disbelief. Melton would foul out early in the fourth quarter for Hilliard, benching their best ball handler. Trailing 35-29 in the fourth, Hilliard clawed their way back into the game. Melton hit a big shot before exiting, while Crews and Jalen Jones hit shots.
Tied at 38-38 in the fourth, Jones would receive technical foul which Hawthrone converted the free throw to take a one point lead 39-38. Hilliard would put the ball in the hands of the player who guided them to the state championship Jacob Crews. However Crews would lose the dribble out of bounds, as the ball and the championship bounced away from Hilliard. Final: Hawthorne 42 Hilliard 38
For Head Coach Myron Saunders, guiding the Red Flashes to the title game was the ultimate compliment for a program that is not looked at as a basketball factory. Said Saunders,” I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym trying to get us to this point, hopefully this let’s people will know that people in Nassau County can play a little basketball”.
Hilliard:
Jacob Crews- 13pts
Shemar Melton 12pts
Jelan Jones 8pts
Hawthorne:
Torey Buie 20pts
Jeremiah James 6pts
Dre Lawrence 6pts
